Jul 2016

LeTTeRS MATTeR

POLITICS GOES BEYOND MODI TOO

I am a regular reader of your magazine and I mainly read issues of your magazine on-line. While there is no gainsaying that your magazine does provide us with a broad variety of information to connect NRI’s, PIO’s & OCI’s with India, there is many a time I feel that you are too obsessed with the doings of PM Modi that you omit writing on other leaders & political parties. Every one of your issues carries Modi this and Modi that, but I've not seen anything about the Gandhis, Kejriwal, et al. Aren't they serious enough leaders to write about off & on ? Great person that he is, my view is that as a person who is part of the diaspora is that it is also important for us to get an inkling on what the opposition and other political parties are thinking about his actions, and what sort of criticism – be it obstructive or constructive – that people are making of the NDA. Maybe a bit more of a balancing act is warranted on your part, especially on political commentaries ?

Loosan Jagessur, Mauritius

IMPORTANT DAYS

DATE COUNTRY DAY

July 1 Burundi Independence Day

July 1 Canada Canada Day

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July 3 Belarus Independence Day

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July 5 Venezuela National day

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July 13 Montenegro National day

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July 20 Colombia Independence Day

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July 26 Liberia National day

July 26 Maldives Independence Day

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RETROSPECTTWO YEARS OF MODI GOVERNMENT

June 2016

GIVE US A CHANCE TO TASTE SALT TOO

Hi! I really like your magazine, and like reading it as soon as it is made available online. I would like to share some of my thoughts with your editorial team. As we cycle through news channels on TV, we get to watch all kinds of news, rural-urban, states, crime, sports, fights, you name it. While I would say we take it with a pinch of salt given their propensity to focus more on the sensational, it does otherwise serve to reach a more complete picture of India and Indians. Your magazine though always tends to adhere to a 'lakshman rekha' that only positive sides of the country and society are written about and highlighted. My suggestion is that you dedicate at least some two three pages to cover the seamier side of Indian life, and other aspects of Indian life that are also equally important.

Seema Kathuria, Shimla, HP ×ññ´ ¥¹ÕæÚU

âð ÚUãÌæ ãñÐ ×ññ´Ùð ¥æ·¤è ¥Öè Ì·¤ ·¤è âæÚUè Âç˜æ·¤æ¥ô´ ·¤ô Âɸæ ãñ, ¥æ·¤è âÖè Âç˜æ·¤æ°´ ÕǸè çÎÜ¿S ¥õÚU ™ææÙ Âýæ# ·¤ÚUÙð Øô‚Ø ãôÌè ãñ´ ¥õÚU §ââð ã×ð´ çßÎðàæ ×ð´ Öè ÖæÚUÌ ·¤è ÌÚUP¤è ·¤æ ÂÌæ ¿ÜÌæ ãñÐ ¥æ·¤è Âç˜æ·¤æ ·¤æ ãÚU ¥´·¤ ÖæÚUÌ ¥õÚU çßÎðàæ ×ð´ ÚUã ÚUãð Üô»ô´ ·¤ô ÁôǸÙð ·¤æ ·¤æØü ·¤ÚUÌæ ãñ ¥õÚU ¥æ §â ·¤æØü ·¤ô ·¤ÚUÙð ×ð´ âÈ¤Ü Öè ÚUã ÚUãð ãñ´Ð Áñâæ ·¤è ¥æ Öè ÁæÙÌð ãñ´ ¥æ·¤è Âç˜æ·¤æ âð ¥çÏ·¤ Øéßæ ÁéǸð ãé° ãñ´ ¥õÚU ×ðÚUæ Öè °·¤ Øéßæ ãôÙð ·Ô¤ ·¤æÚU‡æ ¥æÂâð °·¤ çÙßðÎÙ ãñ ·¤è ¥æ·¤ô ¥æ·¤è Âç˜æ·¤æ ×ð´ Øéßæ¥ô´ âð ÁéǸè ÁM¤ÚUè ÁæÙ·¤æÚUè Öè ÇæÜÙè ¿æçãØð çÁââð ç·¤ ã× Øéßæ¥ô´ ·¤ô ¥æ»ð ÕɸÙð ·¤è ÂýðÚU‡ææ ¥õÚU ™ææÙ °ß´ ¹ÕÚUô´ ·¤æ ÜæÖ ç×Ü â·Ô¤Ð ×éÛæ𠩐×èÎ ãñ ·¤è ¥æ ×ðÚUè ÕæÌ ÂÚU »õÚU ·¤ÚUð´»ð ¥õÚU ¥æÙð ßæÜð ¥´·¤ô´ ×ð´ Øéßæ¥ô´ âð ÁéÇè ÁæÙ·¤æÚUè ¥ÂÙè Âç˜æ·¤æ ×ð´ ¥ßàØ ÁôǸð´»ðÐ Ï‹ØßæÎÐ ÜçÜÌ çâ´ã ×ÙÚUÜ, ÚUæ×Ù»ÚU (©žæÚUæ¹´Ç)

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DR. RAJA VOHRA

REXIT, BREXIT & THE FIXIT

While June came and went, it brought with it two major exit statements that impacted considerably on both domestic and international affairs. The first was Rexit, or the bombshell dropped by RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan when he announced he will be out of the reckoning for a second term after his tenure comes to an end in September. The government, scrambling in reaction to adverse sentiment swings on the economic front triggered by this announcement both at home and abroad, bit the bullet and ushered in a major tranche of FDI reform to contain the negative impact, more of less keeping market sentiment on the upswing and providing a much-needed boost to some ailing sectors. The second 'exit' poll, or 'Brexit', involved the Brits opting for a divorce with the European Union, albeit by a razor-thin margin of a mere 2-3 percent. This 'leave EU' mandate that the referendum threw up, sent ripples across the globe signalling both political and economic uncertainty across markets. India, on this front too, seems to have evidenced its economic resilience, weathering out the turbulence in the markets without much ado. Politically, Brexit seems to present us with a mixed bag indeed, throwing up both opportunities and at the same time presenting some hurdles.

On the domestic front, An earlier truant monsoon has now apropos set in fully, covering most of India. With the deficit now rated at a comfortable 6% that is likely to be bridged with ease, it signals a good season ahead for our Ryots. In the states of West Bengal, Assam, Kerala, Tamilnadu and Puducherry, the heat of electoral politics has all but subsided, but in Uttar Pradesh and Punjab, the scenario is heating up to such an extent that every stakeholder in the upcoming elections is arming themselves for a battle that promises to be both bitter and acrimonious. Meanwhile, true to the penchant for drama our political scenario manifests, numerous political storms brew apace in proverbial teacups – scams, controversies and allegations of corruption galore continue to fly thick and fast, even as the monsoon session of Parliament looms ahead.

That said and done, let us now move on to what we have in store for you in the July issue of NRI Achievers. Our Cover Feature is about an Indian achiever, who was a first mover in a literally non-existent segment of the market that is today worth some 5,000 Crore rupees – water purifiers. We also supplement his story with status reports on both India's water scenario and on the market for water purifiers. Realpolitik makes an assessment on how Brexit will affect the global and Indian scenarios, while Real Estate analyses Brexit's impact on the Indian realty market, and profiles Haryana's initiatives to give a boost to affordable housing in the state. Heritage goes to Corbett to trace the story of Jim Corbett, while Travel & Destinations muses about the temples of Bhubaneswar. Chanakya Neeti continues with another instalment, while Diaspora News brings you stories from across the globe. And as usual, news on milestone happenings are all clustered into our various 'newsy' heads – News Scan, Business Buzz, PSU Buzz, et al.

And as schools and colleges open up fresh academic sessions across the country, it may be back-to-school time for some of you – here's wishing you a great year ahead. For those of us who have been there done that, NRI Achievers will have you experience another great month ahead, before we come up with our next issue ...

HINDUS AND SIKHS OF AFGHANISTAN FLEE ABUSES

On a bright day in downtown Kabul, Jagtar Singh Laghmani was in his traditional herb shop when a man turned up, drew a knife and told him to convert to Islam or he would cut his throat. Only bystanders and other shopkeepers saved his life. According to Reuters, the incident was the latest attack on a dwindling

PUT VISA CURBS ON INDIA, SAYS US SENATOR

A top American senator has asked the Obama administration to discontinue issuing immigrant and non-immigrant visas to citizens from 23 countries, including India and China, alleging that these nations are non-cooperative in taking back illegal immigrants from the US. Republican Senator Chuck Grassley in a letter to the homeland security secretary Jeh Johnson said the Obama administration has failed to use authority “to hold accountable those countries that won't take back their own citizens who have been ordered removed from the US.“ He said this has allowed thousands of criminals to be released into US communities. “Many times, these individuals have criminal histories in addition to entering the country illegally or overstaying their visa,” Grassley said. “Dangerous criminals, including murderers, are being released every day because their home countries will not cooperate in taking them back,” he said in the letter. In fiscal year 2015 alone, 2,166 individuals were released in the US because of this decision and the non-cooperation from recalcitrant countries; more than 6,100 were released in the preceding two years.

community of Sikhs and Hindus in Afghanistan, which is struggling with growing insecurity caused by an Islamist insurgency and economic woes. Once a thriving minority, only a handful of Sikh and Hindu families remain. Many have chosen to flee the country of their birth, blaming growing discrimination and intolerance. “This is how we begin our day – with fear and isolation. If you are not a Muslim, you are not a human in their eyes,” said Jagtar Singh, speaking in his tiny shop in the bustling centre of Kabul. “I don’t know what to do or where to go.”

UK GURDWARA VANDALISED

A gurdwara no longer in use in southeast England was vandalised by a group of teenagers, a video circulating on the social media recently showed, prompting police to probe the incident. “We have been informed of the video that is circulating on social media and have been working with Kent police to ensure this matter is dealt with seriously. We will be working to re-secure the building as soon as possible,” said a spokesperson for the former gurdwara in Gravesend, Kent.

HINDUS IN PAKISTAN ANGERED BY FOOTWEAR WITH ‘OM’

Some shopkeepers in Pakistan’s Sindh province allegedly sold shoes with the sacred Hindu word ‘Om’ inscribed on them, angering the minority community in the country which described it unfortunate and blasphemous. The patron-in-chief of the Pakistan Hindu Council (PHC), Ramesh Kumar, told PTI they had already lodged protests with the Sindh government and local authorities in Tando Adam Khan after it was brought to the notice of the Hindu community that shoes were being sold with the sacred word ‘Om’ inscribed on them. “It is most unfortunate that some shopkeepers in Tando Adam Khan are selling shoes on the occasion of Eid ul Azha with the Hindu sacred word inscribed on them and the purpose just appears to be to insult the sentiments of the Hindu community,” the PHC chief said.

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IN OZ, SIKH POLITICIAN FACES 'RACISM'

A woman Sikh candidate contesting the federal election in Australia has been targeted with a vitriolic and racist propaganda in Melbourne. Alexandra Kaur Bhathal is a Greens party candidate for the House of Representatives from the seat of Batman in Victoria. Residents in her constituency in Melbourne received flyers terming Sikhism 'violent, racist and homophobic'. The anonymous material claims Bhathal supports “Khalistan terrorist movement” to create a “racist” nation in Punjab. The flyer says “male Sikhs carry daggers, using (them) for beheadings and genital mutilation.”

PANASONIC LAUNCHES SMARTPHONE WITH MASSIVE BATTERY

Panasonic India on the 16th of June 2016 launched a new smartphone that packs a huge 5000mAh battery, at a very affordable price of INR 5,990. "With the increased usage of smartphones today, we offer a long-lasting 5000mAH battery with the P75 smartphone, capable of turn-by-turn navigation as well, thereby assisting our consumers on the go," said Pankaj Rana, Business Head (Mobility Division) Panasonic India. The Panasonic P75 has a 5” HD IPS display and runs Android 5.1 Lollipop with the Panasonic SAIL User-Interface, offering features such as batch

CAVINKARE LAUNCHES FRUIT MILKSHAKE

Chennai-based CavinKare has launched 'Cavin's Fruit Milkshake', a ready-to-serve, dairybased beverage. The fruit milkshake with honey comes in three variants — mango, apply and guava — and is priced at INR 25 for a 200 ml pack, CMD CavinKare CK Ranganathan told newspersons. The company has already invested around INR 40 Cr in milkshakes and has lined up an additional INR 30 Cr for further line extensions. It expects revenue from milkshakes to double to nearly INR 150 Cr next year, he said. “It is a breakthrough and another milestone in the history of CavinKare. It is a not a flavoured drink but actual fruit pulp. Adding fruit in drink is a tricky technology and not all that easy to do so,” averred Ranganathan. The fruit milkshake comes in a pack with a validity of six months from manufacturing date.

arranging, file manager and gesture control. The P75 is powered by 1.3 GHz quad-core processor paired with 1GB RAM and has 8GB internal memory that may be expanded up to 32GB. The smartphone sports an 8MP rear camera with flash and a 5MP front shooter offering nine beauty modes. For connectivity, the device offers dual-SIM – 3G/2G configuration, Wi-Fi direct and Bluetooth. Available in two colours – champagne gold and sand black – P75 comes with a protective screenguard worth INR 399 as a free accessory.

HUAWEI LAUNCHES HONOR 5C SMARTPHONE

Chinese major Huawei launched it's Honor 5C smartphones in India last week, priced at ` 10,999. Terming it as “a phone which dares to perform”, the company said the device would be sold via Flipkart and HiHonor.com. The handset comes with a 15-month warranty and a screen replacement warranty for the first month. The phone will be available in three colours — gold, silver and grey – with a dual antenna that prevents dropped calls in low-connection areas by switching to this mode, the company said.

JAGUAR INDIA LAUNCHES ‘PRESTIGE’ DERIVATIVE OF XE

Jaguar Land Rover India has announced the launch of the 2017 model year Jaguar XE sedan in India with the introduction of 'Prestige,' its third derivative. This new derivative joins the 'Pure' and 'Portfolio' (both petrol) that were launched in February this year and were priced at INR 39.9 Lakh and INR 47.99 Lakh respectively. Powered by a 2L petrol engine that delivers 147 kW, the new derivative is priced at INR 43.69 Lakh (ex-Mumbai, pre-octroi). In a statement, President Jaguar Land Rover India Ltd (JLRIL) Rohit Suri said: “The all-new Jaguar XE is a dis-

tinctive combination of Jaguar’s cutting-edge innovation, technology and design. With the introduction of the Jaguar XE, we have entered a new market segment and made Jaguar more accessible to our customers while maintaining the premium and aspirational equity of the brand. This luxury sport saloon has been setting benchmarks in the industry since its launch and with the introduction of the Prestige derivative, we are confident of its continued popularity and success.”

NRI Achievers Desk

US SEEKS PROGRESS IN INVESTMENT PACT TALKS WITH INDIA

The new model text on the basis of which India is negotiating its Bilateral Investment Treaties (BIT) is making it difficult for America to hold talks on the proposed India-US BIT, according to US Ambassador to India Richard Verma. He is of the opinion that this is mainly because India’s model BIT text “substantially narrows the scope of investments” that can be covered by the proposed India-US BIT. The model text, he said, also “requires that disputes be exhausted in local Indian jurisdictions before alternative investor-state dispute mechanisms can be initiated. One area where I would like to see greater progress is in our ability to launch negotiations on a (India-US) BIT.

NSE TO FILE IPO DOCUMENT BY 2017

As part of its attempts to go public and list its shares, India's NSE (the National Stock Exchange) is planning to file the public offer document for its listing in India by January 2017. At a meeting on June 23, the board of the country’s largest stock exchange in terms of market share expressed its desire to file the draft red herring prospectus (DRHP) by January 2017.

TATA – STARBUCKS TO EXTEND PARTNERSHIP BEYOND INDIA

In a bid to raise their partnership to new levels, Starbucks Coffee Company and the Tata Group have agreed to take a host of initiatives, including the inclusion of a single-origin coffee from India for US outlets, bringing the brand to Vistara airlines and taking Himalayan mineral water to Asia Pacific markets. The decision has been taken following a meeting of Starbucks Chairman Howard Schultz and Tata Sons Chairman Cyrus Mistry at the American giant’s iconic roastery and tasting room in Seattle, Washington last month. “For the first time Starbucks will offer a single-origin coffee from India in the US, giving customers from outside the country a unique opportunity to experience a rare, small-lot coffee from Tata Nullore Estates,” the Mumbaibased company said in a statement.

DELHI BEATS BANGALORE & MUMBAI IN STARTUP INVESTMENTS

As of June, 2016, India’s capital Delhi has attracted more venture capital funds than all other Indian cities put together. In terms of VC money, a total of US$ 917 million has been infused into Delhi NCR startups across 155 deals, which is more than 50% of the total venture capital infusion across the

country. As per Tracxn’s blog, during the first half of 2016, 453 Indian startups attracted US$ 1.8 billion of venture capital; and 50.95% of this overall capital was lapped up by startups based in Delhi NCR alone. Bangalore is the most friendly city when it comes to early stage startups.

MCDONALD’S TO INVEST INR 700 CRORE FOR INDIA EXPANSION

McDonald’s will invest INR 700-750 Crore over the next few years to expand its chain in India, especially in emerging cities and towns, a senior company official told media on 27 June 2016. The global fastfood chain’s vegetarian menu, specifically designed for India, has also found takers in Singapore and the Middle East, says Ranjith Paliat, vice-president business operations of McDonald’s India (West and South). He said Indian food items like samosa or dosa on the McDonald menu would depend on customer feedback. “Our customers keep giving us feedback on the way forward,” Paliat replied when asked if McTikki, an adaptation of the predominantly north Indian ‘aloo-tikki’, could possibly see competition in the form of McSamosa or McDosa in the future. India was the first market where McDonald’s introduced a vegetarian menu soon after the Illinois-headquartered company set up operations in the country in 1996.

NRI Achievers Desk

BHEL SETS ANOTHER MILESTONE

BHEL (Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited) has achieved yet another milestone in Afghanistan by successfully commissioning two units of 14 MW each at the Salma Hydro Electric Project. Significantly, the Salma Dam (renamed as the 'Afghan-India Friendship Dam') was inaugurated by the Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi, in the presence of H.E. Ashraf Ghani, the Afghan President. In recognition of BHEL's contribution towards setting up the project, the BHEL CMD Atul Sobti was honoured with an appreciation shield by the Hon’ble Union Minister of External Affairs, Smt. Sushma Swaraj and the Hon'ble Union Minister of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation, Sushri Uma Bharati. This project has been funded under a Government of India Grant to Afghanistan.

FOREIGN LENDERS MEET TELECOM OPERATORS FAIL AHMEDABAD CALL DROP TEST

NTPC Limited held its 14th Foreign Lenders Meet at Mumbai recently, to brief and update foreign banks and financial institutions about the company's operational and financial performance, green initiatives, etc., during the financial year 2015-16, along with growth plans, funding requirements, et al. The meeting commenced with a corporate presentation made by K Biswal, Director of Finance, covering highlights of fiscal 2016 and growth plans.

ARIFUL HODA TAKES CHARGE AS CMD OF UNITED INDIA INSURANCE

Ariful Hoda has resumed officiating as Chairman-cum-Managing Director (CMD) of United India Insurance Co. Ltd. in place of Milind Kharat, who retired on May 31, 2016.

Hoda began his career as a 1980-batch Direct Recruit Officer in the National Insurance Company and has worked in various capacities in various parts of India.

All telecom operators except Bharti Airtel failed to meet the call drop benchmark in Ahmedabad, as per telecom regulator Trai’s sample drive test. TRAI (The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India) conducted call drop test in 12 cities between May 3 – June 3, which included Delhi, Mumbai, Chandigarh, Bhopal, Trivandrum, Ranchi, Sikkim and Hyderabad. The regulator has released test reports of some cities. “Only Airtel 2G met the call drop rate benchmark of less than or equal to 2% in 2G networks (in Ahmedabad), most other operators failed to meet the benchmark by a wide margin,” the report says. The report shows that other than Airtel 2G/3G and Vodafone 2G, most other operators have a call drop rate of over 3%.

MOU SIGNED

A delegation from the Sanya Tourism Development Board of China was recently in New Delhi to tap the outbound Indian market. Its deliberations resulted in a MoU being signed between the Karnataka Region Economic Trade Organisation (KRETO) and the Sanya People's Municipal Government for the promotion of tourism, yoga and integrated systems of medicine between the two cities. Tribhuvan Darbari, Vice Chairman & Trade Commissioner (East Asia) of KRETO, and Mayor Wu Yanjum of Sanya City, in the presence of Liu Cigui, Governor of Hainan Province China, exchanged the documents.

NTPC'S CREDIT STRENGTH REFLECTS DOMINANT POSITION: MOODY'S

State-run power giant NTPC's standalone credit strength reflects its dominant position in the country's power generation sector, solid financial profile for its rating level and overall strong liquidity position, Moody's Investors Service said. "Its strategic importance and close relationship with the government enhances its credit profile. NTPC's ratings are thus highly correlated with India's sovereign ratings."

NRI Achievers Desk

NISAU UK BESTOWS HONORARY FELLOWSHIP ON SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR

APP TO CONNECT INDIAN EXPATRIATES IN DUBAI

The National Indian Students and Alumni Union UK (NISAU) have awarded its Honorary Fellowship to His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar during his recent trip to the UK. The event in Leicester was attended by over 1500 people. Honorary Fellowship of the National Indian Students and Alumni Union is the highest honour that can be bestowed onto a nonmember by the Union. The individual will have made significant and long lasting contributions to India, Indian Culture and/or the welfare of Indian youth in the UK, or elsewhere. It is awarded in recognition of, but is not limited to distinction in the arts, literature, science, business or public life; or exceptional service to NISAU. With NISAU striving for the betterment of the society and working towards development and change, the organisation is proud to honour Sri Sri Ravi Shankar for his immense contribution to

furthering world peace & working towards a violence-free society, for his social and cultural contributions to India and for furthering Yoga, Meditation and Spiritual Studies in a global context. Miss Sanam Arora, President of NISAU commented: “The need to really imbibe in ourselves that it is humanity first is more important today than ever before. Sri Sri’s teachings resonate deeply with us as the youth of today who find ourselves at interesting crossroads between Science and Spirituality. At NISAU one of our key aims is to further amongst Indian youth residents in the UK the feelings of compassion, Vasudheva Kutumbakam (The World is a Family) and Satyamev Jayate (Truth Alone Prevails). We recognise Sri Sri’s outstanding global contributions based on these very principles and hope to further these amongst the youth under his guidance”

Millions of Indian expatriates in Dubai and Northern Emirates will soon be able to fix appointments with Indian consular officials through a revamped mobile app. This news was published in the Gulf News. The app is set to be unveiled on the sidelines of 67th Indian Republic Day celebrations. The Indian Consulate in Dubai had launched a mobile app named "CGI Dubai" last year during the 146th birth anniversary of the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi, on October 2. Anurag Bhushan, the Consul-General of India for Dubai and Northern Emirates, said the mission has scrapped the "passive" first version and is re-launching it. It will now have facilities for taking appointments with consulate officials for

visa or passport services."The app has been received well. But we want to make it more sophisticated," he said. The SOS feature would remain as a highlight through which workers in distress can seek help through a free call. The call will connect any Indian in distress to the 24x7 helpline of the Indian Workers Resource Centre that will address the issue.

ASIANS REMAIN FASTEST GROWING RACIAL GROUP IN US

Asians, including Indian-Americans, remain the fastest growing racial group in the United States, according to new census figures for 2015 released on 23rd June 2016. There are 21 million Asians now, growing by 3.4% over 2014. The number of IndianAmericans among them was not available for 2015 — there were 3.1 million in 2014. Asians have been the fastest growing race group since about 2000, and the main driving force is international migration, says Sam Garrow, a Census Department demographer. China has been the top sender of

immigrants to the US since displacing Mexico in 2013. California has the largest population of Asians with 6.5 million. The population of whites, the largest racial group who clocked in at 255 million, grew

at the slowest rate of 0.5%. Hispanics, the second largest group at 56.6 million, grew by 1.2%. There are an additional 11 million people of Hispanic origin who are in the US illegally and whose future is the focus of a contentious political fight over immigration. Democrats are largely in favour of legalising their status if they fulfil certain conditions. Republicans by and large are opposed to it, and Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee, has vowed to construct a wall along the border with Mexico to prevent illegal immigration.

UK INDIANS PAY TRIBUTE TO JO COX

Life in the usually bustling Southall junction of Broadway and Lady Margaret Road paused recently on the 23rd June, as Indian community leaders and others came together to pay tribute to Labour MP Jo Cox, who was murdered in her constituency on 16th June. Virendra Sharma, senior Labour MP from Ealing South since 2007, led the tributes that saw people from various religions and countries of origin laying flowers and paying their respect before a portrait of Cox. Sharma recalled Cox’s now famous words during her maiden speech in the House of Commons about there being “more in common” among people of various communities than that which divides them, and said Southall’s diversity reflected her values. “She was doing her job in her constituency when she was killed. We have a lost a star in parliament. Our heart goes out to her children and family. But we can continue to keep her alive by adhering to her values,” Sharma said. Southall in west London

with its large community of Indian origin has been a Labour stronghold. Onkar Sahota of the Greater London Assembly spoke on behalf of London mayor Sadiq Khan and said Cox won the hearts of the nation and beyond. “We in the Indian community will continue to be inspired by her,” said Harsev Bains,

chairman of South all Community Alliance. The Southall event was part of a series of events held in London, Cox’s constituency in west Yorkshire and abroad on 23rd June. Several friends and colleagues of the late MP recalled her life and work, besides Pakistani education icon, Malala Yusufzai.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan on the 29th of June has appointed Indore-born Rajesh Agrawal as his Deputy Mayor for business, to boost the city’s interests following the EU referendum. Khan has tasked Agrawal, who arrived in Britain in 2001 and succeeded in growing a twoperson business into a multimillion pound UK enterprise, with championing London’s in-

terests and protecting jobs and growth. Agrawal is the founder and CEO of Xendpay, an global money transfer service, and RationalFX, an online foreign exchange service. Born and brought up in Indore, his story of how he managed to develop his enterprise from a small office into a huge business with offices in UK, France and Spain is grist for another windmill.

SUNDER PICHAI TO GET GREAT IMMIGRANTS AWARD

Four Indian-Americans, including Google CEO Sunder Pichai, are among 42 US nationals to be honoured with this year's prestigious “Great Immigrants: The Pride of America“ award for their inspiring professional accomplishments. The other three are Hari Sreenivasan of PBS NewsHour, Vikram Malhotra, Chairman of the Americas, McKinsey & Company and Bharati Mukherjee, National Book Critics Circle Award winning author.

INDIA-BORN

DEPUTY FOR LONDON MAYOR

SIKH MAN SAVES DROWNING

GIRL USING TURBAN

A quick-thinking Sikh man is being hailed as a hero in Canada after he saved a girl from drowning by using his turban to pull her out of a frigid river. Avtar Hothi, a farmer from Kamloops, British Columbia, used his turban to save the teen who had fallen into the cold waters of North Thompson River close to his farm. Hothi, 65, and his son Paul were working at their family farm in Heffley Creek, just north of Kamloops, on 25th June when they heard cries for help. They rushed to the riverbank to see the girl struggling to stay afloat in the strong current. “We were trying to look around for branches, and he just sprung to action, took off his turban right away, threw it in the water and pulled her to shore,” Paul told Canadian media.h

INDIANS INVEST DH. 20 BILLION IN DUBAI PROPERTY

Indians are buying property in Dubai in a big way. They topped the list of non-Arab foreign investors in Dubai property, with more than Dh. 20 billion of purchases in 2015. They were followed by UK citizens who spent Dh. 10 billion in 2015, the Dubai Land Department (DLD) said in its annual report. Khaleej Times has published this news. Investment from non-Arab expats surpassed Dh. 74 billion in 2015. The number of overseas nonEmirati investors grew to 56,000 - a 33 percent increase over 41,475 investors reported in 2014. Overseas buyers committed Dh. 135 billion to real estate purchases in Dubai in 2015, up 24 percent from Dh. 109 billion reported in 2014. Investments by GCC nationals stood at Dh. 44 bil-

lion in

2015, up from Dh. 32 billion in 2014. Of this, Emiratis accounted for Dh. 26.1 billion. Investment by Saudi nationals jumped 73 percent to Dh. 9 billion, compared to Dh. 5.2 billion in 2014, with the number of investors up 86 percent to 3,259 (2,745 in 2014). Non-Gulf Arabs also increased their investment by a third to Dh. 16 billion, with Jordanians topping the list (1,516 investors purchased Dh. 3.5 billion worth of properties), followed by Egyptians. Sultan Butti bin Mejren, the director-general of the

DLD, said Dubai enjoys an extremely high degree of acceptance from international investors because of its attributes and return on investment. Bin Mejren said investments by Gulf nationals protect Dubai's property market from seasonal fluctuations. Meanwhile, a New Delhi based Real-Estate expert and one of India’s leading architects Deepak Mehta says that Dubai is a very popular destination among Indians to buy properties. In West Asia, Dubai is preferred due to accessibility. Distance is a deterrent in case of the US. However, the US is preferred by Indians who have spent some time studying and working there. Indians prefer Dubai due to proximity and also due to the fact that it is a great place to do business.

Even accounting for the surfeit of ragsto-riches, anonymity-to-fame stories that is part of the Coming-to-America immigrant narrative, Mani Bhaumik's saga is quite extraordinary. Receiving a PhD itself -the first at the IIT in Kharagpur in 1958 -was a quantum leap of faith into physics. But when the boy from rural West Bengal who didn't own a pair of shoes until he was 16 and walked four miles to school and back in his bare feet arrived at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) on a Sloan Fellowship with $3 in his pocket, he thought he'd died and gone to heaven. “Everyone was treated equally , not like back at home where the poor were treated like dirt,“ Bhaumik said on 29th June, without forgetting the astonishing kindness of the same impoverished people in Midnapore's Seuri village who raised money for his airfare to America. After returning their generosity with a foundation that has funded the university

education of scores of underprivileged and meritorious students, and pledging $150 million to his IIT alma mater, the Indian-American physicist this week turned his benevolence to the US University that advanced his life. The result: A $11 million gift to establish a centre devoted to advancing knowledge of the basic laws of nature, the largest donation

in the history of both UCLA's department of physics and astronomy. Coming just weeks after Mainak Sarkar, another more recent doctoral student from IITKharagpur, had brought infamy to the institution by murdering his professor, Bhaumik's magnanimity comes as a soothing balm to a UCLA that is still recovering from the shock. “I thank Mani Bhaumik for his philanthropic leadership and for believing in UCLA,“ said UCLA chancellor Gene Block, who is overseeing the $4.2 billion UCLA Centennial Campaign, which is scheduled to conclude in December 2019 during university's 100th anniversary year. And from Joseph Rudnick, dean of the physical sciences division: “It is through extraordinary gifts like this that the next big leaps will be made in science,“ in what will be called the Mani L Bhaumik Institute for Theoretical Physics.

IIT-KGP ALUMNUS GIFTS $11M TO UCLA

NRI Achievers Bureaus

2n D I nTERnATIOnAL

YOGA DAY

CELEBRATED ACROSS THE GLOBE

The Second International Day of Yoga was celebrated worldwide on the 21st of June. The theme for this year celebration was “Connect the Youth”. Millions of people across the globe came outdoors to perform yoga. India’s proud initiative and gift to the world, the Second International Yoga Day, on all counts, could be called a great success. In India, President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Narendra Modi led Indians in celebrating this event in the country. The main event was held at the Capitol Complex in Chandigarh, where PM Narendra Modi joined the mass yoga demonstration. The Prime Minister advocated popularization of the practice of yoga across the world and desired for more Yoga teachers to be produced from India. The Prime Minister also announced two awards for the Yoga Day celebrations next year, one at the national level and the other at the international level for

popularising yoga. In Delhi, the mega mass yoga demonstration was organised at Connaught Place, which witnessed huge participation of people from all walks of life.

In New York, the image of a yoga posture was projected onto the UN Headquarters as the world body hosted the landmark World Yoga Day. The image projected onto the UN building showed

a woman doing the 'Parvatasana' or the 'inverted V' posture. In Washington, Indian classical dances and demonstration of popular yoga asanas on the lawns of US Congress were organised. Hundreds of thousands of yoga lovers in Britain rolled out mats to practice yoga postures. Over 10,000 people from all walks of life participated in various yoga and meditation sessions. Yoga and meditation sessions were also organised across major Australian cities including Canberra and Melbourne

SCO COUNCIL – EMPHASIS ON ENERGY COOPERATION, INDIA PAKISTAN FULL MEMBERS

Tashkent: The SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organization) Council’s 16th meeting of Heads on the 23rd - 24th June 2016 hosted by Uzbekistan, concluded with the signing of the 'Tashkent Declaration.' Attended by Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev, China's President Xi Jinping and Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon, Uzbekistan President Islam Karimov chaired the meeting. SCO Secretary General Rashid Alimov and Director of the Executive Committee of the Regional AntiTerrorist Structure (RATS) of SCO Yevgeniy Sysoyev were also present. Heads of SCO observer states Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India, Afghan President Ashraf Gani, Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko, Mongolian President Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj, Pakistan's President Mamnoon Hussain, Iran’s Foreign Affairs Minister Dr. Mohammad Javad Zarif, and the guest of the presiding state, Turkmenistan’s President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov also graced the occasion and addressed the gathering, not to mention UN leaders who also participated in the summit. India and Pakistan were accorded member status, and the leaders averred that it shall increase the potential of the Organization and contribute to further enhancement of its role in the international arena as a multilateral mechanism for addressing urgent problems of contemporary timews, ensuring security, stability and sustainable development in the region and the world as a whole. They also welcomed

Republic of Azerbaijan, the Republic of Armenia, the Kingdom of Cambodia and Nepal as SCO Dialogue Partners.

The leaders noted the importance of continuing the mutually beneficial multifaceted cooperation in the energy sphere, including in the field of renewable and alternative energy sources. They decided to counter the continuing threats and challenges of global financial and economic crisis, and noted the importance of the establishment of a fair and equitable world order to strengthen po-

cooperation in the field of tourism, forming a common tourist space and intensifying tourist exchanges, the authorized representatives of member states signed a 'Program of Cooperation of SCO Member States' in the tourism sector.

litical and economic stability. It was decided to pursue coordinated action for further expansion of mutually beneficial trade and economic cooperation within the Organization, including through the creation of favorable conditions for trade, mutual investments and cooperation between business communities.

In order to provide financial support to project activities, member states shall continue the consideration of the issue of establishment of the SCO Development Bank and the SCO Development Fund (Special Account). It was decided to further strengthen cooperation in the spheres of trade, industry, finance, investments, agriculture, customs, telecommunications, including the use of satellite navigation systems, and other spheres of mutual interest. With a view to enhance

The leaders of the grouping also stressed to pay special attention to the development of bilateral and multilateral cooperation in the spheres of public health, science and technology, education, environment protection, sports, tourism, study and preservation of cultural and natural heritage of the SCO region, including along the «Great Silk Road». They also welcomed the beginning of the practical implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action to resolve the Iranian nuclear issue. SCO leaders further noted the importance of arrangements on security cooperation achieved at the Tashkent summit. Members emphasized the importance of the creation of an effective platform of extensive cooperation in countering challenges and threats to regional security, international terrorism and extremism, including its religious and other manifestations. They also agreed upon combating cross-border organized crime, strengthening border security, and to jointly fight against illegal migration and human trafficking. Money laundering, financing of terrorism and economic crimes were also discussed. The leaders reaffirmed the support for the initiative of the People's Republic of China on the creation of the Silk Road Economic Belt.

NRI Achievers Bureaus

India is blessed with good and reasonably well-distributed rainfall for over 5-6 months annually, averaging 1170mm – but this varies widely from region to region, with desert areas of Rajasthan getting just about 100mm to a whopping 11,000mm in Cherrapunji. Out of the total available 4,000 billion m3/ yr of sweet-water, 1,047 billion m3 is lost to evaporation, transpiration and run-off, reducing available sweet-water to 1,953 billion m3 and usable water to a mere 1,123 billion m3. Indeed it is quite a disturbing situation that just 18% of rainwater is used effectively, while 48% enters the riverine system and drains into the ocean. Of the total usable water, surface water accounts for 728 billion m3 and replenishable ground water contributes to 395 billion m3. As against this source of supply, water consumption in 2006 was 829 billion m3, which is expected to rise to an 1,093 billion m3 by 2025. Considering that the potential for increasing the water utilisation volume is hardly 5-10%, India is bound to face a severe scarcity of water in the near future.

While water for consumption is of paramount importance, it is equally crucial that water is provided for irrigation to increase food production and livestock husbandry, if we are to ensure food security for the masses. Our exponentially growing population is a serious concern, as it will create a further onus on the per capita availability of water in the future.

As evidenced by this data, the per capita water availability will drop down to 1341 m3 by 2025 and further to 1140 m3 in 2050. Based on the average requirement of water for various purposes, when per capita water availability falls into a range of 1,000 to 1,700 m3/yr, the situation is considered as a 'water stress' condition and it when the availability reduces to 1000 m3/yr, it is deemed a 'water scarcity' condition. With water available within the country varying widely as a result of rainfall, ground water reserves and proximity to river basins, most Indian States will reach the water stress condition by 2020 and water scarcity situation by 2025.

In India, we have a scenario where over 85% of all available freshwater resources are used for irrigation, and about 10% consumed by industrial units, for municipal use and in construction projects. That leaves a mere 5% of India's freshwater resources to meet drinking water needs of its burgeoning population. Moreover, the quality of this freshwater resource is so suspect, that one study estimates that a whopping 70% of all maladies in India are ascribable to water-borne diseases.

On the positive side, at least during the past decade, access to drinking water for

PER CAPITA WATER AVAILABILITY IN INDIA

YEAR POPULATION (MILLION) PER CAPITA WATER AVAILABILITY (m3 /Yr)

1951 361 5177 1955 395 4732 1991 846 2209 2001 1027 1820 2025 1394 1341 2050 1640 1140

Source: Government of India, 2009.

the Indian population has seen considerable improvement. Yet, one bane that underscores the data put out by the study cited above is the overall poor quality of the water available to rural, semi- and peri-urban populaces and even the water supplied to metropolitan customers by the civic authorities. Increasing awareness about water-borne diseases, rising disposable incomes, mounting urbanization and low penetration levels are exceedingly contributing to a growing demand for water purifiers in India to deal with water quality, transforming the water purifier industry at a rather brisk rate. On top of that, technological advancements and in-

novation as well as intense competitive pressures are also playing a key role in significantly altering the depth of the purifier market.

According to the “India Water Purifier Market Outlook, 2021”, the sector grew at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 21.24% over the past five years. Based on technology, the market is divided into RO, UV and off-line water purifiers, with the RO purifiers dominating the market in 2014, followed by UV filters and gravity based off-line purifiers according to sales revenues. While RO purifiers are the costliest among all the three technologies, rising awareness about its advantage over other purifiers is making

it increasingly popular. Eureka Forbes and Kent dominate this category, with both at striking distance of one another, trying hard to stay ahead through innovation and after sales service. On the other hand, water purifiers with UV technology are fast declining due to less innovation while off-line water purifiers that require no electricity to purify water are seen as the future of industry and expected to grow at a very rapid pace, given the crippling power deficits most of India experiences. This segment is also a key focus area for water purifier manufacturers, given the vast target customer base it offers. Presently combinations of UV, ultrafiltration (UF) and RO systems are also available in the market.

The market in India is expected to see a tremendous growth at a CAGR of around 23% during 2016-21. The primary driver for this growth being the increasing awareness about drinking untreated water. Most of drinking water sources in India contain high levels of toxic materials, due mainly to spillage of heavy industrial waste and agricultural activities using high levels of chemical fertilisers and pes-

ticides. Lead is the most common toxic material found in drinking water that can cause brain and nerve damage. Nearly 67% of Indian households do not treat drinking water apart from relying on boiled water. All these factors are expected to boost the growth of water purifier market in the region.

Competition among vendors in the market is centred on quality, durability, type of purifier, price sensitivity and the after-sales service. The top 5 vendors in the market are:

Ø Eureka Forbes

Ø Hindustan Unilever

Ø Ion Exchange

Ø Kent RO, and

Ø TATA Chemical

Other prominent vendors in the market include 3M, Adhunik, Apex, Aquafresh, Expert, Filmtech, Godrej, Kelvinator Quanta, Krona Liquetac, LG Electronics, Livpure Pep Plus, Mannya Grand Plus, Nasaka Xtra, Okaya, Own, Panasonic, Propello Uno, Sajal, Secure Water Purifier, Ventair, and Whirlpool. The market for water purifiers in India may be segmented by product type as follows:

Ø RO based purifiers

Ø

UV based purifiers

Ø Gravity based purifiers

RO based water purifiers lead the home water purifier market with a share of nearly 53%, and is predicted to witness and even larger growth. Competition in the market sector is intense with even small brands providing high-quality products at much lower prices. Manufacturers are today investing heavily in branding initiatives with a view to increasing their consumer base. Kent RO Systems for instance launched the 'Save Water Campaign' in 2014, which created a massive impact on consumers and propelled the growth of Kent RO purifiers. Kent, among the first in India to come up with RO filters, is extremely active in media, spending copious amounts on advertising – to educate potential customers, create awareness, and achieve customer acceptance of a product. To give the devil its due, Kent ought to be duly credited for promoting the RO category in a big way, and literally building up that segment single handedly. Kent also has other products like water softeners for washing machines and a wa-

WITH WATER AVAILABLE WITHIN THE COuNTRY VARYINg WIDELY As A REsuLT Of RAIN fALL, gROuND WATER REsERVEs AND PROxImITY TO RIVER BAsINs, mOsT I NDIAN sTATEs WILL REACH THE WATER sTREss CONDITION BY 2020 AND WATER sCARCITY sITuATION BY 2025

ter treatment product that is widely being promoted.

There are large region-wise variances in demand and consumption patterns, as is evidenced by the segmentation of the water purifier market in India by region. Based on region, northern India is of great importance to domestic water purifier manufacturers as it accounts for the highest revenues sales, closely followed by Western and Southern India. Maharashtra is reported to have the highest water purifier sales in the country, followed by Delhi. According to forecasts, the western region of India comprising Gujarat, Rajasthan and Maharashtra account for nearly 40% of the market share, followed by the northern region. (Source: Technavio, 2015)

The key market trend that manifests itself in this sector is 'innovation.' The sector, being highly price sensitive and competition among leading vendors intense, manufacturers are investing in product innovation through technology to attract consumers. Eureka Forbes for instance launched a mobile water purifi-

cation system costing around 600 rupees in 2014 – the sipper shaped purifier is handy and provides 99% protection against harmful organisms.

For the year 2015-16, the overall market for water purifiers in India is said to be approximately worth INR 5,000 Cr. This market is today growing at a CAGR (compounded annual growth rate) of about 25% and is largely driven by rising sales of low-cost variants triggered by extreme shortage of drinking-water and a dwindling water table. What's more, it is now estimated that the sales of water purifiers across India is likely to cross the 1.5 Crore mark by end 2016.

To conclude, while India is not by any reckoning a water deficit country, several

regions of the country experience water stress from time to time, due to abject apathy and neglect of water resources development projects, not to mention the lack of monitoring. Further neglect will indeed lead to severe levels of water scarcity during the next 1-2 decades.

Ergo, it is perforce necessary to immediately take steps if we are to prevent such a crisis. To start with, we need to firstly make the best use of available technologies and resources to conserve existing water resources and convert them into an utilisable form. Second, efforts must be made to revive all major water-bodies that have languished, shrinking and almost disappearing. Thirdly, the much vaunted linking of rivers must be embarked upon with a political will that will augur well for a well-connected network of internal waterways, which will go a long way in the alleviation and mitigation of both kinds of water stress experienced by different regions of India – from floods that occur with regularity in eastern and north eastern India to the killer droughts experienced by central and western India.

And last but not least, the spiralling demand of a fast-growing population both urban and rural for sweet-water to satisfy the need for clean drinking water warrants a two-pronged approach – the promotion and revival of traditional water harvesting systems, methods and techniques; and the adoption of appropriate technologies to recycle and clean any type of available water into potable water. While governments and administrative machinery at both the state and the centre are today grasped of this situation and efforts are on at all the levels suggested above, the urgency and pace of effort still leave a lot to be desired. Private industry in India though has been canny enough to recognise this recipe for a disaster in the making for quite some time now, coming up with filters, appliances and technologies to purify water for meeting the drinking water needs of a diverse population, with products to suit every pocket and every type of input water.

The NRI Achievers Research Bureau

'SANKALP KARO, VIKALP

MAHESH GUPTA MAHESH GUPTA THE STORY OF KENT

Irony takes various forms, and it was indeed ironical that engineer Mahesh Gupta did not have access to clean drinking and potable water at home in 1998, when both his children got jaundice. Well, he could have bought one of those water purifiers available that time, but they weren’t good enough for him, he wanted something better. So he ended up building an all new water purifier for himself in his garage, using the then bleeding-edge Reverse Osmosis (RO) technology. Then, having done that, the now sixty-something chairman of Kent RO Systems thought what was good for him would be good for others as well, and founded the company in 1999. Since then, backed by a good product, global certifications, celebrity endorsements and customer acceptance, Kent has created a new category in water purifiers and has today emerged as a multicrore megabrand. NRI Achievers sought out the CMD of Kent RO Systems Mahesh Gupta, and asked him to share the Kent story with our readers. So here is how it all came about, narrated mostly in his own words ...

Kent RO Systems Limited is a healthcare products company with its headquarters in Noida, Uttar Pradesh, making water purifiers based on the Reverse Osmosis process. Over the years the company has diversified into products like air purifiers, appliances for cleansing vegetables and fruits, and water softeners. The company, whose technology is validated by UNESCO and certified by organizations such as NSF, WQA, TUV and ISO, won the Golden Peacock Eco-Innovation Award in 2007, for developing innovative water purifying technology and preventing environment degradation. Kent exports to SAARC countries, the Middle East and Kenya, and

MAT DHOONDO...'

expects 15% of its total turnover to come from exports in the near future. The company has its manufacturing base in Roorkee (Uttarakhand), spread across 4,00,000 sq.ft and has an annual production capacity of 1 million units. It sells more than 2,25,000 RO purifiers every year and holds around 40% market share, with about 80% of its revenues coming from RO purifiers. Kent is today also competing with international brands, outbidding them on basis of its technology, innovation, better service, well equipped distribution system and good branding.

Innovative marketing strategies and the adoption of state-of-the-art technologies both in manufacturing and running internal business processes has helped Kent in taking their brand and products to the next level – the adoption of global bestpractices from similar sectors to run their business has made things fall in line with international norms through the implementation of ERP, Capacity Requirements Planning and Supply Chain Management Systems. This has helped Kent grow manifold, and manage a relatively vast distribution and service network. But enough about the company, let us get down to the heart of the matter, the story of Kent that Mahesh Gupta has to share with us ...

“Necessity they say is the mother of invention. Kent RO was born out of the need to provide clean water to my children, when both of them fell ill in 1998. I was compelled to consider installing a water purifier at home, but available options left me dissatisfied. Products available in the market those days worked on ultraviolet (UV) technology, killing bacteria. But this was not good enough for me, since the water we drink also contains many dissolved impurities that are not removable using UV technology. I wanted a purifier that would remove these undesirable dissolved elements while simultaneously recognising and retaining good minerals. Coming from an engineering background,

making my own water purifier was not all that difficult a task – all I needed to do was export the components. My gut-feel told me to piggyback on existing technology and develop it further to come up with a better water purifying system for my family. So I embarked on the job and this experiment turned a success. After several trials and six months of toil, I zeroed in on RO, a technology that promised the results I wanted. And the first ‘Kent’ purifier was made in March 1999. And then I mulled about bringing it out in commercially in the market.”

Convinced about the huge potential for his product, Gupta decided to enter into production of his RO purifying device and offer it to the masses. “While I did not conduct any market survey before starting this business, I was well aware that 80% of all diseases in India are caused by waterborne micro-organisms, and that 80% of urban families do not even purify tap water. This pointed at an obviously huge market for my product. I invested about 5 lakh rupees as seed capital for procuring equipment for the RO system and getting my product patented. This money came

from my own savings earned out of my other entrepreneurial foray — SS Engineering. After having worked for 11 years with Indian Oil as a deputy manager (technical services), I had quit in 1988 to start SS Engineering – to make oil meters to test the quality of oil.

Kent RO Systems grew exponentially through the years, and the patented technology behind it’s RO water purifiers helped. Gupta avers: “The passion to work ought to take precedence over the need (read greed) to earn money.” It is indeed rare for a businessman to take this sort of a stand, as most entrepreneurs will primarily look for ever-increasing revenue flows rather than focusing on maximising customer satisfaction at the expense of profits. At least from that point of view, the growth story of Kent is an inspiration not merely for upcoming and potential first generation entrepreneurs but also for old-world established conglomerates.

“I had started out of the small garage of my house at South Extension in Delhi, where I designed the first purifiers. In the first year, sales were a dismal 100 units, and we were even accused of overcharging

Photo: Ishant Bisht

by some customers. We had priced our product at around 20,000 rupees, while most other water purifier companies were selling their products at some 5,000 odd rupees. There was nothing we could do about this since Kent was offering a superior technology and we had to recover the cost of the imported equipment we were offering.”

In the first five years, Gupta had found it difficult to convince customers to buy his product as opposed to one from a giant like Aquaguard (Eureka Forbes), whose UV purifiers literally ruled the market with their over 70% market share. They also cost five-times less than Gupta’s RO purifiers. But the very fact that the purifiers available in the market did not remove dissolved impurities like arsenic, fluoride or pesticides made it Kent’s USP, as its product did remove them.

“So initially, for about 6-7 years we tried to sell our products without any major success, and without much branding or publicizing effort. People were buying our products but not in any large quantities. To make things worse, brand awareness and recall were almost nil given lack of advertising and publicity. Thankfully, our customers realised the superiority of our product and our sales started picking up through word of mouth publicity by users. By 2001, we had quite suddenly hit the sweet spot of the potential market, with customers beginning to like our products and revenue generation showing some upward movement. I ploughed back the money we earned from our sales and initiated a brand campaign. We also put up our products at retail outlets and stores that specialised in kitchenware, providing shoppers the opportunity to try our product and make on-the-spot decisions.

“Publicity, advertising and reaching the customer with our message became an imperative necessity. We needed a brand ambassador – someone who is already a well-known face and personality, who could easily slip into the role of a mother with ease. I managed to convince the dream girl of Bollywood – Hema Malini, to endorse our brand. She was ideal for endorsing our brand as she was a house-

wife, popular, and appealed to the ladies, but it was not easy convincing Hema Malini. When approached in 2005, she agreed to endorse it only after using our product. In 2005, when our turnover was a mere 30-40 Crore rupees, we had no money to spend on TVCs. So we started with using Hema’s photo in catalogues and print. It was only in 2006 that we could create our first TVC”

This proved to be a turning-point for Kent, it gained in volumes. It today sells around 450,000 units a year in a 1-milliona-year RO market. “With Hema, later joined by her daughters Esha and Ahana as well as our brand ambassadors, the entire perspective changed in 2006. Our revenues got a boost through our promotional campaigns and sales went up. Business took off to speed, functioning at an altogether different level. Learning from this lesson, we have more recently also managed to get hold of Boman Irani to promote our new product ‘Kent Tap Guard,’ a purifier that gives pure water directly from the tap.”

“Next on our agenda was the plan to

develop a sales team, making efficiency and prompt service our buzzwords. Here was a product that required immediate attention in case of a breakdown as people couldn't afford to wait. But given the lack of manpower penetration, getting the servicing pipeline in place was a huge challenge. We've managed to overcome the obstacles and today, our company has a team of more than 3,000 service engineers in different corners of the country.” That was then, but today Gupta is more concerned with reducing the numbers of service calls, which is outsourced outside of Delhi. “Unlike a TV or a washing machine, where service can probably wait for a day or two, people want service in threefour hours in this category. So, our service organisation should be able to respond within that period.”

“Our company currently sells more than 2.25 lakh units every year and we have so far sold more than a million units to date. I am also fortunate in that my family involves itself fully in my endeavours – my wife, Sunita, and both our children –daughter Surbhi and son Varun – help out

with the business. I still have no formal training in this field, but I've managed to keep myself abreast of the market by going through reference books, conducting Internet research for innovations, and visiting various industries and markets.”

The water purifiers that account for 95 percent of Kent's sales have been tweaked and re-tweaked over the years to suit every type of water Indian households have to reckon with. While Kent has diversified, introducing other derivative products to Indian households like fruit and vegetable cleansers, water softeners and air purifiers, they have not really found adequate traction in the market. But Gupta is least worried about this, and feels that these products are simply ahead of their time. He is of the opinion that even on the water purifiers front, there is a lot more ground to cover: “Kent is available today in at least 400 outlets in Delhi, but it does not mean we have reached all customers. The problem is that the customer doesn't have a need or desire to buy, we have to create that desire,'' he says. Adoption cycles are slow, and the market would evolve further

as awareness increases. And once there's a large enough nucleus of RO owners, growth could be faster," he adds.

Kent's success has led many other players to enter the segment: Pureit by Hindustan Unilever, Livpure by Luminous, Ion Exchange, not to mention the elephant in the room Eureka Forbes. Many of them have also followed in Kent’s footsteps, going in for celebrity endorsements to push their products as well. Gupta attributes his success to a good product and appropriate technology. Yet, he feels that he and the entire water purifier industry in India have so far merely scratched the surface. “What's a 1-million-purifier market in a country with 60 million Internet connections or 145 million LPG connections ? It's difficult to tell people that they are dying slowly – by drinking unclean water with dissolved impurities present in it,” says Gupta. But in advertising and promoting Kent purifiers, by no means does he want to play on fear: “I do not want to play on the fear-factor, because I want to build an aspirational brand that lasts for a long time. You could use fear to build a concept, but not a brand,” he avers.

The penetration of water purifiers in rural India is a measly 2 percent and double that in urban India. Pricing surely is a deterrent – Kent's RO purifiers cost 16,500 rupees. But Gupta feels the bigger problem is an uneducated and unaware customer, whom the government just instructs to boil his drinking water. That perforce does not remove dissolved impurities – impurities that have only increased with industrialisation and use of pesticides. As ROs get popular and become a utility product, higher volumes will obviously bring down prices. Today, Kent's marketing cost is 15 percent and Gupta is paying a dealer margin of 20 percent. “As volumes go up, margins can come down. If it becomes a utility product, I don't need to advertise to sell,” says Gupta.

Seen dispassionately, the main factors that contributed to the success of Kent RO may be said to be the following: In 1999, RO purifiers were not yet available. Kent created just such a product and also the demand for it. It was the first to introduce

a wall-mounted RO purifier to Indian households. It roped in Hema Malini to endorse its product and build customer acceptance. Kent Purifiers are certified by world standards bodies like WQA & NSF, of the USA. In time, it also launched mineral RO purifiers, and more recently, launched a ‘no-wastage’ purifier that collects impure water for recycling.

NRI Achievers queried this doyen of the water purifier industry who made a difference to the sector to talk a bit about himself, his early years, milestone events in his life, his likes and dislikes, so that our readers may get to know more about his persona rather than just learn about his achievements. Here are excerpts about what he shared with our editorial team ...

“I had an ordinary childhood. I remember the school I went to – the DC Arya School – I was not all that studious a child, and I also remember getting periodic scoldings from my parents from those times, for not focusing too much on studies ... however, I do recall that I did not do too badly in my studies, and I was ultimately good enough to compete and get into IIT. Contrary to popular perception that competition those days was not as tough as it is today for higher studies in premier institutions, I would say it was no different. But unlike today, no tuition classes or prep-institutes existed in those days. I recall we had started preparing for the entrance exams right from class IX, my elder brother and I – both of us ultimately got into IITs, I want to Kanpur. I did not stop with my earning a B.Tech in Mechanical Engineering from IIT Kanpur. I went on to specialise – in Petroleum Technology. I went to the Indian Institute of Petroleum at Dehradun (now a university), to get a masters in Petroleum.

My first and last job as an employee was with the Indian Oil Corporation, where I served as a deputy manager (technical services) for 11 long years. I left this job in 1988, wanting to work on oil conservation. I started a business, SS Engineering – to make oil meters to test the quality of oil. My first invention was made right here in SS Engineering – in the field of petroleum conservation instrument – an

Photo: Ishant Bisht

oil-flow meter which earned me both some fame, and half a dozen patents to my credit. This company is still very much in business, and I am still connected with it. In fact the branding of our water filters and purifiers, ‘Kent,’ comes from this company. The oil-flow meter I had invented in SS Engineering was branded as the Kent oil flow meter when it entered production in 1972. So when in 1999 we began building our RO water purifiers, we retained the same name, which was familiar to people in the market.

As for my likes and dislikes, my pet peeves and what I find some pleasure in – I love good food, and cars. I enjoy driving whenever I get a chance. Cars for me are both a luxury and a utility. Though most of my outfits are bespoke and custom-stitched, I do like wearing a Louis Philippe shirt. I have a spiritual bent to my personality, and an ideal holiday for me for me these days is attending Sri Sri Ravishankar’s Art of living sessions in Bengaluru. As for regrets, my only regret since I've started Kent is that I've had to ease up on my hobby of playing bridge – I've been an avid player for over 25 years.

Asked about his mantra for success, he says: “My first success mantra is my passion for work. I put in as many hours of my day into my work as is needed. Unless I finish my job for a day I do not go home, sometimes it is 6 PM, sometimes it is 9PM. I will not stop till I finish whatever I am at, and I never take my work home or keep it pending for tomorrow. The second is sincerely trying to find solutions for my customers. The basis of my success is to understand the issues of customers – you cannot come out with a killer product unless you understand your customer’s needs. Success in my business comes from the passion that I have shown to my work. In life you can achieve anything if you set your priorities right. Some people say I am doing whatever I do for my family, some say its for my friends ... but I have passion for my work. I would say work is more important to me than all other things in life. Your ideas should be so effective that they should directly hit the customers mind. Sankalp Karo, Vikalp Mat Dhoondo”.

Kent CMD Mahesh Gupta is also currently the President of the Punjab Haryana Delhi (PHD) Chamber of Commerce & Industry. So when we asked him from the point of view of being an industry association president what he thought of the past two years of Narendra Modi’s tenure, his had this to say: “From my point of view, his tenure has been good for two reasons, One, he has come out with many initiatives that are progressive for the development of our country – Make in India, Skill India, Digital India, et al. And while it is not at all that easy to make things happen in India, to a large measure he is succeeding in making them happen. And secondly, the biggest credit I would give PM Modi’s government is his and his team’s considerable success in creating belief in the minds of people both in India and abroad. The belief that “we can do it” – this I feel, is the biggest gift any Prime Minister can bestow upon this nation. Also, I think due credit ought be given to his endeavours on the international front, and the image of India he has been building on the world arena. The amount of confidence he has infused in the minds of foreign investors and in the people who want to come and work in India is staggering. So much so that nowadays anyone and everyone wants to come and invest in

India, and partner with Indian industry to start businesses.

“And my message to all those people –prospective investors, and especially our own NRIs, OCIs and PIOs is: Wherever you are, you went from this country in search of a better life over there. It is worthwhile to note now that this country too is an immense engine of growth. It is today the fastest growing among all emerging economies, and a silver lining in an otherwise dark cloud that overhangs the global economies. I would say that it is now time for you to come back, or at best devote or contribute something for the further development of this country.

“As for our younger generation, whether they be the well educated or not, whether they be engineers or from any other stream or discipline, my message to them is carpe diem – grasp this day – and don’t fail to tap the opportunities and the new entrepreneurial climate that prevails. Bring more and more new innovations to play, and believe in your dreams. Have the passion to live.”

Photo: Ishant Bisht

Rajeev Gupta

The author is a veteran journalist who had been associated with many electronic channels before starting NRI Achievers magazine. He may be reached at: editor@nriachievers.in

TO BE OR NOT TO BE ...

EVENT-HORIZON – BREXIT RIPPLES IN THE GLOBAL ECONOMY

On the 23rd of June 2016, in a referendum on whether to stay with or leave the European Union, the British voted by a narrow margin, with 51.9% voters choosing to end their association with the EU. This shook Europe and sent ripples across the global economic landscape, despite the referendum result not being binding on the UK parliament. The key takeaway of the referendum was that autonomy and sovereignty now rival economics as drivers of voter sentiments. The UK today is revealed as a country deeply divided - London, Scotland and Northern Ireland having overwhelmingly voted to stay put in the EU, a few larger cities also having chosen to remain though less emphatically; but smaller industrial towns, market towns, suburbs and the countryside – both left and right-leaning areas – having rallied to the 'Leave' campaign's call for Britain to "take back control" from Brussels. A sharp generational divide has also come to the fore, with particularly students and graduates supporting ‘Remain’ and the elderly voting to 'Leave'. The Indian Diaspora too seems divided on similar lines, with roughly an equal number for as against. S Ravi shares his analysis of the scenario with our readers.

Prime Minister David Cameron has announced his resignation and will step down as soon as a successor is elected. Jeremy Corbyn, the opposition leader, has been hit by a slew of resignations from his shadow-cabinet and a revolt against his leadership, which is likely to plunge the UK into a constitutional crisis. Scotland will

probably think about a second go at a referendum on it's independence, and could be joined by Northern Ireland and Wales, which may well lead to the possibility of a break-up of the United Kingdom as we know it today.

In large measure, Brexit has been prompted by rising concerns about the scale and impact of immigration, coupled with the sentiment among those whose standard of living has been slipping that they have been forgotten about. It is a signal of retreat from globalization, under way at least since 2008, when global finance nearly froze up and the Doha Round of negotiations for lower trade barriers collapsed. Like all the other previous geopolitical and financial contagions of the past including the disintegration of the USSR, the German reunification, the Arab Spring and the Greek debt crisis; Brexit has triggered an avalanche of short and long term crises within the

UK and across the globe.

The EU is a large market for the UK, particularly for exports of services and goods, including components and fuels. More than half of the UK’s top 10 trading partners in services are EU countries, with Germany, Netherlands, Spain and France dominating. The UK is a major recipient of inward FDI and also an important investor in overseas economies. It had the world's third highest stock of inward FDI in 2014, just behind the US and China. In 2014, EU countries accounted for just under half the stock of FDI in the UK (£ 496 billion out of a total of £ 1,034 billion, 48%), with EU's share fluctuating between 47% and 53% over the last decade. In terms of UK's investments abroad, the EU accounted for 40% of the total UK FDI stock in 2014. London's financial sector includes over 250 banks (30.5% being EU banking institutions), all of whom

currently enjoy free entry to the European single market. UK’s withdrawal from the Union would generate the relocation of banks to countries that allow them to maintain their free-access to the EU single market (for example Ireland & Netherlands). International investors see London as an intermediary between the US, EU and Asia. In the event of UK’s exit from the EU, London would lose a great deal of this influence.

David Cameron has announced that his successor would decide on when to invoke Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, which will then set in motion the formal legal process of withdrawing from EU. Senior officials from the remaining 27 EU states, after a meeting in Brussels on the 26th June, have agreed to wait, at least until the appointment of a new British Prime Minister, likely to be in September, for the formal notification of UK’s intention to quit EU. In his final address at the Brussels Summit on the 28th of June 2016, Cameron expressed the desire for having the closest possible relations with the EU and retain single market access with free movement of workers as entry price, which would set the stage for a face-off between UK and EU exit talks.

It is but obvious that UK’s signal to leave would prompt difficult internal negotiations among the 27 countries, including over the shrunken EU budget. The UK is the third-largest contributor to the Euro budget after Germany and France, providing about an eighth of its resources. EU capitals are also likely to start informal discussions on how to approach the negotiations with the UK in coming weeks. However, there will be no formal negotiations over what approach to take until Britain triggers Article 50. The UK will continue to abide by EU treaties and laws but not take part in any decision-making during the period of negotiating a withdrawal agreement and the terms of its relationship with the remaining 27 nations, which is expected to take place over a time-line of 2 years.

As markets take note of the uncertainties around the process and tenure of the UK exiting EU and given the

abject lack of clarity on new regulations, stock markets are in for a bout of volatility. Currency markets in search of safe havens could make the US dollar and the Japanese Yen stronger, which in turn would make their exports costlier and British exports cheaper. It is unlikely to affect China’s immediate economic outlook, but prolonged currency market volatility could add to downward pressure on the Yuan and revive investors’ fears of competitive global devaluations. Brexit has already caused a slip in the rating by Fitch and S&P to AA, as well as Moody’s credit rating outlook going to negative. This is expected to raise borrowing costs in international financial markets. Till clarity prevails, both the Pound Sterling and the Euro could take a beating in the short term.

The 10-year Treasury yield and other long term borrowing costs have already been triggered on the hope of a looser and easing policy on the part of the Bank of England, the European Central Bank, Bank of Japan and the US Federal Reserve deciding not to raise rates. Furthermore real estate in UK could receive a setback, with flows getting diverted to other countries offering stability. Lower rates could push against the hit that the economy takes on trades. However, there is a possibility that the crisis in the UK could expose unknown fragilities in global credit markets as well, and the uncertainty of having no functioning government, ineffective opposition and a lack of clarity on the process of Brexit, households and companies are sure to put their spending decisions on hold leading to lower GDP growth.

India’s chances of entering into a Free Trade Agreement with UK will now brighten. Among EU countries, UK is India’s third largest trading partner, and presently the second biggest

source of FDI for Great Britain. India is already trying to build trade bridges with Netherlands, France, Germany and others, albeit in a small way. Work-related visa restrictions have already resulted in a fall in the number of Indian students studying in British universities. Given their tough stance on cutting immigration, a Brexit government could be expected to make such curbs more stringent. Brexit is likely to impact Indian companies in sectors like automobiles, IT, textiles, pharmaceuticals, gems and jewellery, leather, leather products and metals in multiple ways – they stand to lose their gateway into Europe, experience demand weakness due to potential slowdown in the EU and the UK, volatility in commodity prices, currency impact on account of potential depreciation of the rupee, euro and the pound, and a balance sheet impact on account of exposure to un-hedged overseas borrowings.

Britain’s role as a ‘balancer’ will be keenly missed. In case Scotland secedes from the UK, it will have major consequences for British defence pol-

icy, given the basing there of the nuclear deterrent. New stability will need to evolve, but is not so easy since Germany is already much more equal than the others in the Union. Vis-a-vis the United States, Britain’s exit from EU deals a body-blow to the US’ Transatlantic leadership, with the advantage going to China and Russia. A dishevelled, disoriented Europe makes for a weak negotiating partner. Combined with the strong ‘Russian lobby’ within Germany, and France, Italy and Greece, et al., it could become highly problematic for the US to keep sanctions against Russia going. The British vote also strikes some resonance within other EU member countries – especially in Germany, Italy, France, Netherlands, Poland and so on, who are sitting on the sidelines to watch if the Brits can pull off an EU exit with manageable damage. In case several other countries choose to leave the EU, which will then result in a core Eurozone with an outer ring of countries with tailored ties to Brussels with more fragmented international architecture, standards and security relations.

If and when Article 50 is triggered and the exit talks begin, the UK and the other 27 member states could begin discussing how the structures of EU law, regulation, fiscal transfers, open commerce, open borders and human rights that have been built over the past decades will be undone and reworked. This being the first ever time that article 50 could be invoked

GREAT BRITAIN'S OPTIONS IN THE EVENT OF WITHDRAWAL FROM THE EU

EU/EEA EEA/EFTA (Norwegian model) EFTA/BA (Swiss model) EUCU (Turkish model) BA /WTO Free Movement of Goods Yes Yes Yes Yes Custom duties Services Yes Yes Yes No Custom duties Capital Yes Yes Yes No Yes Persons Yes Yes Yes No No

Contributions to EU budget Yes Yes Yes No No Application of EU laws Yes Yes Yes Partial No New Regulations per year (EU legislation) 1000 350 0 0 0 Independently Negotiate Trade Agreements with EU No Yes Yes No Yes Control

Fisheries resources EU GB GB GB GB Agriculture EU GB GB GB GB Responsibility

For home affairs EU GB GB GB GB In the Justice field EU GB GB GB GB Legal Basis for Int'l Trade EU Treaties EEA EFTA / BA EUCU/ BA BA Source: Synthesis of authors based on the analysis of literature in the field (Randwyck van, Hugo (2013), Efta or EU, Qs and As, The Brouges Group; Randwyck van, Hugo (2013), Efta or EU, Qs, and As, The Brouges Group)

* GB - Great Britain * BA - Bilateral agreements

there is no clarity on the process of negotiation, combination of slow change and abrupt acts which would lead to the new relationship and regulatory framework between the UK and

Europe. The long-term consequences of Brexit will depend upon the timing and substance of the withdrawal agreement that the UK negotiates with the EU. At a minimum, the EU will certainly make it expensive for Britain to participate on an ad hoc basis. The UK though, has some models (or a combination of them) to follow in negotiating an exit from the EU that could serve as precedents. The Norwegian Model – Following terms and conditions of the Agreement on the European Economic Area (EEA). This agreement was signed in 1992 between the EU Member States and several other member states of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) and entered into force in 1994. The Swiss model (which is EFTA member, without being part of the EEA) - Following EFTA terms and conditions & signing bilateral treaties with the EU. The Turkish model - Following the terms

and conditions of the EU Customs Union (EUCU). Bilateral agreements under WTO auspices. The implications of these options as in terms of movement of goods & service, capitals, people, contribution to budget, application of laws, control on certain resources, etc. (See Table)

Immigration in the context of EU's labour market liberalization is one of the main bugbears of the British people. Main British concerns are related to fewer jobs for British workers and wage cuts in some sectors; and the conditions under which immigrants become beneficiaries of public services provided by the British government. According to a recent study conducted in 2014 by Dustmann & Frattini, immigrants from EU have contributed to 64% more than they benefited from UK's public finances (15 billion pounds) while immigrants from EU countries in Central and Eastern Europe have contributed to 12%

more than they benefited (5 billion pounds). However, in the event of exit, the 3 million EU nationals already in UK are likely to be allowed to stay on, but the situation is less clear for those who move to the UK between now and the final exit date. Further, there is also a fear in the minds of UK nationals living in EU States about their easy access to public health services and pension portability. There is a possibility that migration between UK and other EU countries will slow down if not stop altogether. Free movement of persons and immigration is one of the key concern areas that would need to be addressed during exit negotiations.

Brexit will adversely impact countless areas of the economy –mergers, laws, contractual disputes and enforcement, tax and financial services to name just a few. The extent to which these will be affected by the UK’s withdrawal from EU will depend on the model of relationship that the UK and the EU adopt following the negotiations for

separation. Here’s a snapshot of the potential legal impact of Brexit:

 Merger & Competition: Any company doing business in the EU will still be subject to EU rules. This could increase the regulatory burden as compliance with both the EU and UK regimes would be necessary.

UK and EU.

 Taxes: Brexit could impinge upon VAT, customs duties and the taxation of payments between EU group companies in particular.



Data Privacy & Security: The UK may not be required to adopt the newly overhauled EU data-privacy laws expected to come in force in 2018, but there will be a desire to ensure that data can still flow freely between the

 Intellectual Property Rights: The UK would no longer be part of EU’s “community” trademark regime that offers rights protection across the continent.

 Insurance: It is possible that UK insurers may need to face a complicated regulatory regime, relocate, or open new branches inside the EU to underwrite business in EU member states.

 Contractual Disputes & Enforcement: As a EU memberstate, the UK is part of a framework for deciding jurisdiction in disputes, recognizing judgements of other member states and deciding the governing law of contracts. Following Brexit, UK may no longer be part of this framework, which may affect jurisdiction and governing law choices

in transaction documents.

 Financial Services: One of the largest identifiable risks to the financial sector is the potential loss of 'passport' rights for firms based in the UK looking to sell services in the EU. A requirement for visas and work permits may create a barrier that could weaken the UK, whilst strengthening other more welcoming financial centres.

Breaking away from EU legislation and creating appropriate new UK legislations would be a massive and time consuming task and may take decades to complete. Foreign firms doing business with UK companies and companies operating in the UK from around the globe banking upon easy entry into the EU would find they have challenging times ahead.

They would require to spend considerable time and money to draw up new contracts and structure transactions upon reintroduction of UK custom duties and tariff, new taxation laws, regulations controlling mergers, evaluate shifting of bases, etc., which implies taking a hit on both the top-line as well as the bottom-line in their books.

Markets would witness short-term volatility and currency fluctuation but these are not the real issues. In coming years, both Britain and the EU will be consumed with the challenges of severance, and therefore more self-absorbed. However, while the terms are worked out, there will be considerable turmoil both within the United Kingdom and around the globe. However, if the United Kingdom and EU adopt a withdrawal agreement that allows the UK to continue to be part of the European Union’s “single market,” many of the short-term problems will be mitigated.

The Euro will most likely not serve

to be of much utility in Greece, Italy, Spain, and many other current Eurozone countries. The EU, notwithstanding all its flaws, has helped keep the peace in Europe for decades. In case other EU states choose to follow the Brexit model, one could well witness what has been experienced in history – physical attacks on one another, which would allow Russia and China to exploit opportunities presented by the weakening of the West and require the US to rebalance its foreign policy towards Asia.

From an American perspective, it will be an EU less intrinsically connected to them and less willing to de-

velop and defend common approaches to global issues, and a Britain less able to affect Europe. One could expect foreign assistance and defence spending to reduce as EU governments look to shift resources to domestic claims in the hopes of placating a public now understood to be annoyed. Non-EU institutions — principally the NATO, IMF and even the UN — will gain as venues for British influence. The fissures in the EU today may also pave a way to bolster NATO as the forum for manifesting European weight internationally.

The world today seems to be enjoying a populist and anti-globalization movement. Be it the US, UK or EU, the underlying concerns are easy immigration and visa norms hurting the middle class and less educated older citizens. For businesses and investors, every election in coming years could come with the risk of more nationalist policies that could further impair the free flow of goods, services, capital and people.

S Ravi

The author is a practising CA with over 26 years of experience. He has served on the boards of more than 36 companies across sectors, including Public Sector Banks and PSUs

THE REALITY OF BREXIT ON REALTY

A week ago, Britons voted by a slim margin to quit the European Union, of which they have been part of for several decades now, sending shock waves across the European community and across the world. Different economies have reacted variously, and overall there seems to be a mood of uncertainty pervading across the globe on what this would imply and mean to the plethora of market groupings, blocs and trading zones prevalent across continents on the medium to long term. India, however, though in a slowdown mode, seems well prepared and appropriately cushioned to take the shocks arising out of BREXIT, unlike during the Lehman crisis of 2008. Vinod Behl presents you with his analysis ...

With healthy foreign exchange reserves and a fiscal deficit that is going down, India is better placed than most other emerging economies, with the Indian rupee proving to be a relatively better performing currency vis-a-vis those of the other emerging nations. The Indian stock market too has managed to absorb the BREXIT shocks and seems likely to be less affected in the mid to long term. Nomura, in its latest Asia Special Report says that though India is not immune to the BREXIT effect, yet the economic impact of BREXIT should indeed be small to India, in relation to other open economies of Asia. And investment bank Credit Suisse also concurs that in case of any adverse fallout of BREXIT, India and China will have the least impact. The recent statement of the World Bank President, Jing Yong Kim, is no less reassuring. He avers that India has dealt with the impact of BREXIT quite creditably and has come out of it relatively well.

Talking specifically about real estate in general and the Indian real estate sector in particular, global property consultancies are of the opinion that the realty sector in India will continue recovering on the back of a resilient economy, strong capital inflows and reforms.

According to Anuj Puri, Chairman of JLL India, "BREXIT will not disturb the Indian recovery scene much, since Indian office market leasing is dependent only by 5-7 percent on UK-based companies, and investments and activities of PE funds from EU countries are more in India than in the UK. However the IT sector, a leading contributor to growth of office realty, may face some heat due to EU slowdown as some big IT companies like Infosys, TCS, HCL have exposure to UK.

The commercial real estate market that has already recovered from the slowdown to a large extent has got a further boost now, with liberal FDI norms kicking in and far-reaching reforms that have seen the arrival of REITs. In fact, with taxation and other related sops, REITs have been made much more effective and attractive for foreign investors. With growing demand for commercial buildings, office spaces, shopping centres, warehouses etc., REITs are the preferred investment vehicles globally – and with quality REIT compliant stock in India, the interest of global investors in Indian property has increased manifold. According to RICS and the Cushman & Wakefield report, Indian commercial real estate offers investment opportunities worth approximately US$ 43-54 billion across the top 8 cities by

way of REIT ready stocks. And according to JLL, 80-100 million square feet of office space, with at least a 60,000 Crore rupee value, may qualify to be included under REITs with the potential to guarantee an annual rental value of at least 6,000 Crore rupees.

The retail segment of the Indian real estate market is also looking up to face any challenges from BREXIT. According to the 2016 Global Retail Development Index (GRDI), with a pick up in the GDP and riding high on FDI reforms, India has jumped 13 positions from last year to rank second among 30 developing countries this year. The logistics sector, which is a significant contributor to commercial real estate, also does not see any adverse impact on its business from BREXIT. Especially as a spate of reforms like 100 percent FDI in e-commerce, 24x7 retail operations, Make in India with full focus on manufacturing, boost to infrastructure through industrial investment corridors, and the positive investment climate created by the GST Bill, have all given an immense boost to this sector, which is poised to reach 125 million square feet by 2021. The latest World Bank Report on global logistics rankings couldn't have come out at a more

opportune time, which shows that India has jumped up 19 places to occupy the 35th rank. This has boosted confidence of global investors in India's logistics sector, which attracted INR 1438 Crore of private equity investment last year.

Along with the recovery in commercial real estate, the revival of residential real estate has also picked up pace fuelled by various reforms (especially real estate regulation) and other investor-friendly policy initiatives including measures to make the tax regime simpler and predictable. All these measures have brought in the much needed transparency in property transactions. This is clearly reflected in JLL's Global Real Estate Transparency Index (GRETI) 2016. India has made improvements in overall transparency scores across all markets, achieving higher ranks for tier 1-2 markets. According to Anuj Puri of JLL, improved market fundamentals, policy reforms,

liberalization of FDI into the realty sector and the strengthening of information in the public domain were main influencers, along with digitisation of land records and the opening up of REITs". JLL expects India's transparency index to improve further with the implementation of Real Estate Regulation Act (RERA).

BREXIT has come as a blessing in disguise for Indians keen to invest into UK property – especially London's housing market which had been a major attraction for Indian investors. The weak British Pound Sterling and sluggish UK property prices may well work to the advantage of Indian property buyers.

Otherwise as well, investing into property in the UK is not only a good hedge butis also expected to give attractive returns. With buyers pulling out of transactions due to market uncertainty, one could look for good deals there, especially in London. Global property consultancy JLL expects more buyers from India investing into the property market of Britain. "The combination of expected interest rate cuts and devaluation of the British Pound should attract Indian investors, especially as London has always been a favourite destination for Indian property buyers. It augurs well for Indian investors to make their move now", says Shishir Baijal, CMD of Knight Frank India.

Economists and investment experts believe that considering the relative soundness of the Indian economy and its good growth prospects, the impact of BREXIT may well be muted. According to Arvind Subramanian, the Chief Economic Adviser, if we look at the data India seems to have emerged as a safe heaven for investors. And with the reform process in the country keeping good pace amid sound prospects of a favourable monsoon this year, the Indian economy may well gain further stability, giving a big boost to real estate and negating any adverse impact of BREXIT.

HARYANA LEADS IN REALTY REFORMS

The NDA government's 2-year term at the Centre has been marked by far reaching reforms in the real estate sector, including the landmark Real Estate Regulation Act (RERA). Among the states, it is Haryana that has emerged as a front-runner in land and property related reforms after the installation of a new government in the state as of October 2014. Haryana has taken several measures to boost real estate and housing, particularly affordable housing, and more such reforms are in the pipeline to rev up realty.

Even before the Centre could clear the consumer-friendly RERA (Real Estate Regulation Act), the Haryana government took a far-reaching measure to protect interests of home buyers by setting up the Allottees Grievances Redressal Forum (AGRF). This move envisaged setting up redressal forums in all the districts of the state to tackle issues of delayed possession, breach of builderbuyer agreements, inflated External and Internal Development charges, cheating on flat sizes, exorbitant maintenance charges, reneging on promised amenities and specification of building materials, inadequate infrastructure and poor maintenance, etc. In order to ensure ease of business, the Haryana government also formulated a policy under which district level committees can clear small projects requiring investment of INR 10 Cr. and grant of CLU for areas up to one acre.

While the Union Urban Development Ministry has set a one year deadline for states to implement its model real estate regulation cleared by Parliament, Haryana has once again taken a lead, by taking steps to implement one of the key provisions of this landmark act – to open escrow accounts for housing projects. In a recent far-reaching decision taken in connection with a stalled project of a leading builder in Gurgaon, the Department of Town & Country Planning has asked the builder to com-

plete the remainder/pending project within a stipulated period by opening an escrow account.

Another landmark reform of the new Haryana government pertained to new land development policy, christened as the 'New Integrated Licensing Policy' (NILP) for residential and commercial complexes, is meant to give a big push to housing, particularly affordable housing. Under this policy, initiated for high potential areas of Gurgaon-Manesar-Sohna, Faridabad-Ballabgarh, Sonepat-Kundli , Panipat and Panchkula-Kalka-Pinjore, the minimum land cap for large housing projects has been reduced from 100 acres to 25 acres, ensuring that large tracts of land lying unused due to tough provisions of the New Land Acquisition Act could be put to use to develop housing and related infrastructure, and land owners – espe-

cially small land owners get the market rate for their land.

As part of this policy, the concept of Transferable Development Rights (TDR) prevalent in states like Maharashtra was introduced for the first time in Haryana. With the introduction of the TDR concept, land owners can now monetize their land holdings at current market prices in residential sectors and in areas marked for external development works like sector roads, creating infrastructure for water, sewage and electricity besides social infrastructure like schools, colleges, hospitals, parks etc. On the other hand, builders can raise the FAR of their projects by buying TDRs from land owners, which will in turn will benefit property consumers by way of affordable pricing. All in all, NILP is meant to balance the interests of all the stakeholders including land own-

ers, real estate developers and investors/buyers/consumers of residential plots or flats.

In yet another significant policy initiative to boost real estate, the Haryana government has taken a two-pronged measure to create more space for housing in cities by allowing plot owners to increase ground coverage as well as purchase additional floor area ratio (FAR). Applicable to licensed colonies and sectors of Haryana Urban Development Authority, the new policy will be a bonanza for property owners.

As part of its land reform initiatives, the Haryana government has also come up with a policy for licensed colonies, under which builders can exchange land among themselves for better planning of licensed colonies and residential sectors without affecting the net area. The state government has simplified the process of change of land use (CLU), under which projects up to one acre area and costing up to INR 10 Cr, are given single-window permissions by respective deputy commissioners, while the projects of over one acre area and costing more than INR 10 Cr, are cleared by an empowered committee headed by the Principal Secretary to the

Chief Minister. Automatic Change of Land Use effected in 75 blocks has a provision of Auto CLU Permission with an automatic dispensation of deemed clearance in case the competent authority does not decide on the request for grant of CLU permission within the prescribed time frame of the department.

In order to give boost to affordable housing, the new policy initiated by the state government has a provision to allow builders of affordable housing projects to receive up to 25 percent of apartment price without getting environment clearance. It also has a provision for return of money by the builder to customer with 12 percent interest if the builder is not able to get environment clearance within a period of 12 months from the date of accepting money from customers. The Affordable Plotted Housing Policy 2016 facilitates creation of additional affordable housing stock in the low and medium potential towns of Haryana. The policy aims at developing high density plotted colonies by making small plots available through a liberal policy framework. Under this policy, the planned area of residential projects will be between 5 acres and 15 acres and the maximum permissible plot size would be 150 sq metres.

Haryana has also taken reform measures to promote renewable energy. As part of Haryana Solar Power Policy 2016,

the focus is on rooftop solar power systems, making these mandatory for plot sizes of 500 sq yards and above.

Solar plants have also been made mandatory in all government and private educational institutions, universities and offices having connected load of 30 kw, and on top of all private hospitals and industrial/commercial establishments having connected load of 50 kw. To promote energy efficiency in homes, the state government has made the use of LED lamps mandatory by amending the Zoning Plans of licensed colonies and CLU granted sites. Implementation of this rule is to be ensured at the time of grant of Occupation Certificate.

This realty reform process initiated by the Haryana government carries on, with more such reformatory initiatives in the pipeline. Within a month or so from now, property licensing and all processes pertaining to CLU are expected to go online. And since the online system will disclose minute details of project and allottees, it will come in handy to check EWS scams like one person applying and acquiring multiple flats. It will also check corruption in granting licenses for real estate projects and granting CLU from agricultural to residential/institutional/industrial land. In the near future, Haryana also proposes to digitize all land records in the state. Gurgaon land records have already gone online. The state government is also going in for detailed digital mapping of all its cities in order to make available geo-spatial data to all the departments for their planning needs.

Work is also apace on a policy for proper utilization of thousands of acres of surplus land lying with various government departments and PSUs across the state. For this purpose, the inventory of such idle land tracts is being prepared. Efforts are also on to create a hassle-free and costeffective business environment to attract investments in the real estate sector.

Vinod Behl

The author is a senior media professional & the consulting editor of NRI Achievers magazine. He may be reached at: vb@nriachievers.in

ßæÜè '¿æ‡æ€UØ ÙèçÌ' ·¤æ Âæ´¿ßæ ¥ŠØæØ. ãÚU ¥´·¤ ×ð´ ã× °·¤ ¥ŠØæØ ÂÚU ÙÁÚU ÇæÜÌ ãñ´. v. Õýæ±×‡æô´ ·¤ô ¥ç‚Ù ·¤è ÂêÁæ ·¤ÚUÙè ¿æçã°, ÎêâÚUð Üô»ô´ ·¤ô Õýæ±×‡æ ·¤è ÂêÁæ ·¤ÚUÙè ¿æçã°, Â%è ·¤ô ÂçÌ ·¤è ÂêÁæ ·¤ÚUÙè ¿æçã° ÌÍæ ÎôÂãÚU ·Ô¤ ÖôÁÙ ·Ô¤ çÜ° Áô ¥çÌçÍ ¥æØð ©â·¤è âÖè ·¤ô ÂêÁæ ·¤ÚUÙè ¿æçã°. Agni is the worship-able person for the twice born; the brahmana for the other castes; the husband for the wife; and the guest who comes for food at the midday meal for all. w. âôÙð ·¤è ÂÚU¹ ©âð çƒæâ ·¤ÚU, ·¤æÅU ·¤ÚU, »ÚU× ·¤ÚU·Ô¤ ¥õÚU ÂèÅU ·¤ÚU ·¤è ÁæÌè ãñ. ©âè ÌÚUã ÃØçQ¤ ·¤æ ÂÚUèÿæ‡æ ·¤è ßã ç·¤ÌÙæ ˆØæ» ·¤ÚUÌæ ãñ, ©â·¤æ ¥æ¿ÚU‡æ ·ñ¤âæ ãñ, ©â×ð »é‡æ ·¤õÙ âð ãñ´, ¥õÚU ©â·¤æ ÃØßãæÚU ·ñ¤âæ ãñ, âð ãôÌæ ãñ. As gold is tested in four ways by rubbing, cutting, heating and beating – so a man should be tested by these four things: his renunciation, his conduct, his qualities and his actions.

x. ØçÎ ¥æ ÂÚU ×éâèÕÌ ¥æÌè Ùãè´ ãñ Ìô ©ââð âæßÏæÙ ÚUãð´. Üðç·¤Ù ØçÎ ×éâèÕÌ ¥æ ÁæÌè ãñ Ìô ç·¤âè Öè ÌÚUã ©ââð ÀéÅU·¤æÚUæ Âæ°´. A thing may be dreaded as long as it has not overtaken you, but once it has come upon you, try to get rid of it without hesitation.

y. ¥Ùð·¤ ÃØçQ¤ Áô °·¤ ãè »Öü âð ÂñÎæ ãé° ãñ´ Øæ °·¤ ãè Ùÿæ˜æ ×ð´ ÂñÎæ ãé° ãñ´ ßð °·¤ âð Ùãè´ ÚUãÌð. ©âè Âý·¤æÚU Áñâð ÕðÚU ·Ô¤ ÛææÇ ·Ô¤ âÖè ÕðÚ °·¤ âð Ùãè´ ÚUãÌð. Though persons be born from the same womb and under the same stars, they do not become alike in disposition as the thousand fruits of the badari tree.

z. Áô ßñçη¤ ™ææÙ ·¤è çÙ´Îæ ·¤ÚUÌð ãñ´, àææS˜æ â×Ì ÁèßÙàæñÜè ·¤æ ×Áæ·¤ ©Ç¸æÌð ãñ´, àææ´ÌèÂê‡æü SßÖæß ·Ô¤ Üô»ô ·¤æ ×Áæ·¤ ©Ç¸æÌð ãñ´, ßð çÕÙæ ç·¤âè ¥æßàØ·¤Ìæ ·Ô¤ Îéѹ ·¤ô Âýæ# ãôÌð ãñ´. Those who blaspheme Vedic wisdom, who ridicule the life style recommended in the satras, and who deride men of peaceful temperament, come to grief unnecessarily.

{. Ï×ü ·¤è ÚUÿææ Âñâð âð ãôÌè ãñ. ™ææÙ ·¤è ÚUÿææ Á×·¤ÚU ¥æÁ×æÙð âð ãôÌè ãñ. ÚUæÁæ âð ÚUÿææ ©â·¤è ÕæÌ ×æÙÙð âð ãôÌè ãñ. ƒæÚU ·¤è ÚUÿææ °·¤ Îÿæ »ëçã‡æè âð ãôÌè ãñ. Religion is preserved by wealth; knowledge by diligent practice; a king by conciliatory words; and a home by a dutiful housewife. |. ßã ÃØçQ¤ çÁâ·Ô¤ ãæÍ Sß‘À ãñ´ ·¤æØæüÜØ ×ð´ ·¤æ× Ùãè´ ·¤ÚUÙæ ¿æãÌæ, çÁâÙð ¥ÂÙè ·¤æ×Ùæ ·¤ô ¹¸ˆ× ·¤ÚU çÎØæ, ßã àææÚUèçÚU·¤ oë´»æÚU Ùãè´ ·¤ÚUÌæ, Áô ¥æÏæ Âɸæ ãé¥æ ÃØçQ¤ ãñ ßô ×èÆð ÕôÜ Ùãè´ ÕôÜ â·¤Ìæ, Áô âèÏè ÕæÌ ·¤ÚUÌæ ãñ ßã Ïô·¤æ Ùãè´ Îð â·¤Ìæ. He whose hands are clean does not like to hold an office; he who desires nothing cares not for bodily decorations; he who is only partially educated cannot speak agreeably; and he who speaks out plainly cannot be a deceiver. }. ×êɸ Üô» Õéçh×æÙô´ âð §cØæü ·¤ÚUÌð ãñ´. »ÜÌ ×æ»ü ÂÚU ¿ÜÙð ßæÜè ¥õÚUÌ Âçߘæ S˜æè âð §ücØæü ·¤ÚUÌè ãñ. ÕÎâêÚUÌ ¥õÚUÌ ¹êÕâêÚUÌ ¥õÚUÌ âð §ücØæü ·¤ÚUÌè ãñ.

The learned are envied by the foolish; rich men by the poor; chaste women by adulteresses; and beautiful ladies by ugly ones.

~. ¹æÜè ÕñÆÙð â𠥏Øæâ ·¤æ Ùæàæ ãôÌæ ãñ. ÎêâÚUô ·¤è Îð¹ÖæÜ ·¤ÚUÙð ·Ô¤ çÜ° çÎØæ Âñâæ ÙC ãôÌæ ãñ. »ÜÌ É´» âð Õéßæ§ü ·¤ÚUÙð ßæÜæ ç·¤âæÙ ¥ÂÙð ÕèÁô´ ·¤æ Ùæàæ ·¤ÚUÌæ ãñ. ØçÎ âðÙæÂçÌ Ùãè´ ãñ Ìô âðÙæ ·¤æ Ùæàæ ãôÌæ ãñ. Indolent application ruins study; money is lost when entrusted to others; a farmer who sows his seed sparsely is ruined; and an army is lost for want of a commander. v®. ¥çÁüÌ çßlæ ¥Øæâ âð âéÚUçÿæÌ ÚUãÌè ãñ. ƒæÚU ·¤è §’ÁÌ ¥‘Àð ÃØßãæÚU âð âéÚUçÿæÌ ÚUãÌè ãñ. ¥‘Àð »é‡æô´ âð §’ÁÌÎæÚU ¥æÎ×è ·¤ô ×æÙ ç×ÜÌæ ãñ. ç·¤âè Öè ÃØçQ¤ ·¤æ »éSâæ ©â·¤è ¥æ¡¹ô´ ×ð´ çιÌæ ãñ.

Learning is retained through putting into practice; family prestige is maintained through good behaviour; a respectable person is recognized by his excellent qualities; and anger is seen in the eyes.

vv. ÎæÙ »ÚUèÕè ·¤ô ¹¸ˆ× ·¤ÚUÌæ ãñ. ¥‘Àæ ¥æ¿ÚU‡æ Îé¹ ·¤ô ç×ÅUæÌæ ãñ. çßßð·¤ ¥™ææÙ ·¤ô ÙC ·¤ÚUÌæ ãñ. ÁæÙ·¤æÚUè ÖØ ·¤ô â×æ# ·¤ÚUÌè ãñ. Charity puts an end to poverty; righteous conduct to misery; discretion to ignorance;

and scrutiny to fear.

vw. ßæâÙæ ·Ô¤ â×æÙ Îéc·¤ÚU ·¤ô§ü ÚUô» Ùãè´. ×ôã ·Ô¤ â×æÙ ·¤ô§ü àæ˜æé Ùãè´. ·ý¤ôÏ ·Ô¤ â×æÙ ¥ç‚Ù Ùãè´. SßL¤Â ™ææÙ ·Ô¤ â×æÙ ·¤ô§ü ÕôÏ Ùãè´. There is no disease (so destructive) as lust; no enemy like infatuation; no fire like wrath; and no happiness like spiritual knowledge.

vx. ÃØçQ¤ ¥·Ô¤Üð ãè ÂñÎæ ãôÌæ ãñ. ¥·Ô¤Üð ãè ×ÚUÌæ ãñ. ¥ÂÙð ·¤×ô´ü ·Ô¤ àæéÖ-¥àæéÖ ÂçÚU‡ææ× ¥·Ô¤Üð ãè Öô»Ìæ ãñ. ¥·Ô¤Üð ãè ÙÚU·¤ ×ð´ ÁæÌæ ãñ Øæ âλçÌ Âýæ# ·¤ÚUÌæ ãñ. A man is born alone and dies alone; and he experiences the good and bad consequences of his karma alone; and he goes alone to hell or the Supreme abode.

vy. çÁâÙð ¥ÂÙð SßL¤Â ·¤ô ÁæÙ çÜØæ ©â·Ô¤ çÜ° Sß»ü Ìô çÌÙ·Ô¤ ·Ô¤ â×æÙ ãñ. °·¤ ÂÚUæ·ý¤×è Øôhæ ¥ÂÙð ÁèßÙ ·¤ô Ìé‘À ×æÙÌæ ãñ. çÁâÙð ¥ÂÙè ·¤æ×Ùæ ·¤ô ÁèÌ çÜØæ ©â·Ô¤ çÜ° S˜æè, Öô» ·¤æ çßáØ Ùãè´. ©â·Ô¤ çÜ° âÂê‡æü Õý±×æ‡Ç Ìé‘À ãñ çÁâ·Ô¤ ×Ù ×ð´ ·¤ô§ü ¥æâçQ¤ Ùãè´.

Heaven is but a straw to him who knows spiritual life (Krsna consciousness); so is life to a valiant man; a woman to him who has subdued his senses; and the universe to him who is without attachment for the world.

vz. ÁÕ ¥æ âȤÚU ÂÚU ÁæÌð ãô Ìô çßlæÁüÙ ãè ¥æ·¤æ çטæ ãñ, ƒæÚU ×ð´ Â%è çטæ ãñ, Õè×æÚU ãôÙð ÂÚU Îßæ çטæ ãñ, ¥çÁüÌ Âé‡Ø ×ëˆØé ·Ô¤ ÕæÎ °·¤×æ˜æ çטæ ãñ.

Learning is a friend on the journey, a wife in the house, medicine in sickness, and religious merit is the only friend after death.

v{. â×éÎý ×ð´ ãôÙð ßæÜè ßáæü ÃØÍü ãñ, çÁâ·¤æ ÂðÅU ÖÚUæ ãé¥æ ãñ ©â·Ô¤ çÜ° ¥óæ ÃØÍü ãñ, Âñâð ßæÜð ¥æÎ×è ·Ô¤ çÜ° Öð´ÅU ·¤æ ·¤ô§ü ¥Íü Ùãè´, çÎÙ ·Ô¤ â×Ø ÁÜÌæ çÎØæ ÃØÍü ãñ.

Rain which falls upon the sea is useless; so is food for one who is satiated; in vain is a gift for one who is wealthy; and a burning lamp during the daytime is useless.

v|. ßáæü ·Ô¤ ÁÜ ·Ô¤ â×æÙ ·¤ô§ü ÁÜ Ùãè´, ¹éÎ ·¤è àæçQ¤ ·Ô¤ â×æÙ ·¤ô§ü àæçQ¤ Ùãè´, Ùð˜æ ’ØôçÌ ·Ô¤ â×æÙ ·¤ô§ü Âý·¤æàæ Ùãè´, ¥óæ âð Õɸ·¤ÚU ·¤ô§ü â´Âçžæ Ùãè´.

There is no water like rainwater; no strength like one's own; no light like that of the eyes;

and no wealth more dear than foodgrain.

v}. çÙÏüÙ ·¤ô ÏÙ ·¤è ·¤æ×Ùæ, Âàæé ·¤ô ßæ‡æè ·¤è ·¤æ×Ùæ, Üô»ô´ ·¤ô Sß»ü ·¤è ·¤æ×Ùæ, Îðß Üô»ô´ ·¤ô ×éçQ¤ ·¤è ·¤æ×Ùæ ãôÌè ãñ.

The poor wish for wealth; animals for the faculty of speech; men wish for heaven; and godly persons for liberation.

v~. âˆØ ·¤è àæçQ¤ ãè §â ÎéçÙØæ ·¤ô ÏæÚU‡æ ·¤ÚUÌè ãñ, âˆØ ·¤è àæçQ¤ âð ãè âêØü Âý·¤æàæ×æÙ ãñ ¥õÚU ãßæ°´ ¿ÜÌè ãñ, âãè ×ð´ âÕ ·¤éÀ âˆØ ÂÚU ¥æçŸæÌ ãñ.

The earth is supported by the power of truth; it is the power of truth that makes the sunshine and the winds blow; indeed all things rest upon truth.

w®. Üÿ×è Áô â´Âçžæ ·¤è ÎðßÌæ ãñ, ßã ¿´¿Üæ ãñ. ã×æÚUè Eæâ Öè ¿´¿Üæ ãñ. ã× ç·¤ÌÙæ â×Ø çÁØð´»ð §â·¤æ ·¤ô§ü çÆ·¤æÙæ Ùãè´. ã× ·¤ãæ´ ÚUãð´»ð Øã Öè ÂP¤æ Ùãè´. ·¤ô§ü ÕæÌ Øãæ¡ ÂÚU ÂP¤è ãñ Ìô Øã ãñ ·¤è ã×æÚUæ ¥çÁüÌ Âé‡Ø ç·¤ÌÙæ ãñ.

The Goddess of wealth is unsteady (chanchala), and so is the life breath. The duration of life is uncertain, and the place of habitation is uncertain; but in all this inconsistent world religious merit alone is immovable. wv. ¥æÎç×Øô´ ×ð´ Ùæ§ü âÕâð ÏêÌü ãñ. ·¤õßæ ÂçÿæØô´ ×ð´ ÏêÌü ãñ. Üô×Ǹè Âýæç‡æØô ×ð´ ÏêÌü ãñ. ¥õÚUÌô´ ×ð´ ܐÂÅU ¥õÚUÌ âÕâð ÏêÌü ãñ.

Among men the barber is cunning; among birds the crow; among beasts the jackal; and among women, the malin (flower girl). ww. Øð âÕ ¥æ·Ԥ çÂÌæ ãñ´... v.çÁâÙð ¥æ·¤ô Á‹× çÎØæ w. çÁâÙð ¥æ·¤æ Ø™æôÂçßÌ â´S·¤æÚU ç·¤Øæ x. çÁâÙð ¥æ·¤ô ÂÉæØæ y. çÁâÙð ¥æ·¤ô ÖôÁÙ çÎØæ z. çÁâÙð ¥æ·¤ô ÖØÂê‡æü ÂçÚUçSÍçÌØô´ ×ð´ Õ¿æØæ.

These five are your fathers; he who gave you birth, girdled you with sacred thread, teaches you, provides you with food, and protects you from fearful situations. wx. §Ù âÕ ·¤ô ¥æÂÙè ×æÌæ â×Ûæð´. v. ÚUæÁæ ·¤è Â%è w. »éL¤ ·¤è Â%è x. ç×˜æ ·¤è Â%è y. Â%è ·¤è ×æ¡ z. ¥æ·¤è ×æ¡.

These five should be considered as mothers; the king's wife, the preceptor's wife, the friend's wife, your wife's mother, and your own mother.

Source: www.hindisathityadarpan.com

90% OF NANA PATEKAR’S EARNINGS DONATED TO POOR

One of Bollywood's most brilliant actors, Nana Patekar, is a man whose versatility has wowed many cinema lovers and critics alike. For him, Cinema is not a tool to earn money but rather an artform to be mastered. This self-proclaimed 'angry man' comes from humble beginnings – born into a poor family, Nana did odd jobs like painting zebra crossings on roads and movie hoardings for a measly monthly wage of 35 rupees before he made it to the silver screen. A unquestioned star today, his stardom lies more in noble deeds than his histrionics on screen. He leads a very simple life, still living with his mother out of a simple one bedroom flat, while his peers live out of lavish mansions. Nana does not believe in splurging on luxuries, rather, he would spend it for betterment

of the society. So far, he has donated 15,000 rupees each to some 62 families of the farmers who committed suicide. It was he who came forward to help drought hit the farmers of Marathwada,

QUALITY FILMS

while others of his ilk were spouting mere sympathy – taking upon himself the task of bringing relief to these farmers. He visited 112 farmers’ families in Marathwada, donating sewing machines to them. He now plans to connect with 700 more in areas like Nagpur, Latur, Hingoli, Parbani, Nanded, and Aurangabad. Nana has also adopted few villages and wants to make them model villages. His foundation has so far collected some 22 Crores rupees from the public for farmer welfare, and is working on recharging local water bodies, revive dried lakes and rivers to ease the water situation in chronically arid areas. In sum, Patekar has donated 95% of his earnings from the last 30 years to charity. All this without much ado, but silently and without any fuss.

RAJA’ ACTRESS NIA SHARMA GOES BOLD AT THE ‘GOLD AWARDS’

upcoming film (name yet to be made known), says she is not keen to do too many films at a time. Asked what else she is working on other than Rhea Kapoor and Ekta Kapoor’s production, Bebo says, “Right now, just this one film. I do not want to do five films at a time. I took so much time to say yes to Rhea (Kapoor).” However the 35-year-old actress, who is rumoured to be pregnant, says that the number of films have never mattered to her and that she wants to do only good films. “I feel it’s not about doing five films, it’s about one film which I enjoy doing. I enjoyed working on KI & KA and BAJRANGI BHAIJAAN. I loved doing UDTA PUNJAB, even though it was a small role and now I am sure I am going to enjoy this,” says the actress, who will share screen space with actresses Sonam Kapoor and Swara Bhaskar.

Actress Kareena Kapoor Khan, who is preparing for

Indian Television actresses are known for their saas bahu roles. But now, some of them are breaking the stereotype image of our television beauties and are ready to show their bold side. The actresses have started dressing up in a unique style not just to look hot; but to look bold and beautiful. Recently Nia Sharma, who is currently playing the lead in serial ‘JAMAI RAJA’ showed her sexy side during ‘Gold Awards’. The lady walked the red carpet by creating her bold style statement in a metallic Kaftan style gown. The plunging neckline and halterneck design really stole the show and flattered the figure, making sure all eyes were on Nia’s cleavage and incredible figure. Turning to the side, Nia also flashed the full length of her uncovered left leg, all the way to her hip. Adding even more to it, the lady did not miss a chance to showcase her sky-high silver stilettos. Well, Nia really sets a remarkable example for TV actresses’ who wants to change their image; isn’t it? Her dress was reflecting her true spirit for the award night.

her

KAREENA KAPOOR KHAN SAYS SHE BELIEVES IN DOING

‘JAMAI

KANGANA WON'T BE

STEREOTYPING

GUJARATIS IN HER NEXT FILM

Kangana Ranaut, who plays a Gujarati character in her next film directed by Hansal Mehta, has already begun preparing for it. We hear the actress has cut herself off from the world and any kind of distraction. Apurva Asrani, who has scripted the movie, says, “Kangana is known for living her characters. Not only has she hired a language coach and has been watching Gujarati plays, but she's also trying to internalize her character. It's not just about getting the accent right. Besides, her character won't be stereotypical or something that mocks the Gujarati community. We stand for breaking stereotypes. It will be an honest portrayal.”

INDO-CANADIAN DIRECTOR FORAYS INTO BOLLYWOOD WITH JEENA ISI KA NAAM HAI

JEENA ISI KA NAAM HAI, which features Arbaaz Khan, Ashutosh Rana, Prem Chopra, Supriya Pathak, Manjari Fadnnis and Himansh Kohli marks the directorial debut of Keshhav Panneriy. The IndoCanadian filmmaker, who has made a few short films earlier, says, “I met producer Purnima Mead two years ago when I was in the US. We discussed the idea and it took me a year to write the script and dialogues. It's an intriguing story and we have shot it on a large canvas. “The movie, produced by Bibia Films Pvt Ltd, is in its last leg of shooting and will release this November.” Talking about his experience while working on the film, Keshav says, “The biggest challenge is to make a believable movie. We want to present viewers with something they haven't experienced before. I'm sure they'll be treated to an entertaining film.”

Mumbai Bureau

'I have survIved more by way of luck than talent'

- sa JId nadIadwala

Sajid Nadiadwala, by most counts the only big time individual producer who is constantly producing film after film and emerging a winner as well at the box office in a big way, whether it is KICK, BAAGHI or HOUSEFULL 3, talks and shares his thoughts with our Bollywood maven Jyothi Venkatesh in this freewheeling dialogue. Read on ...

l What do you think when you look back at your illustrious career which has stretched for over 30 years ?

Though I feel very elated and proud, I would also say at the same time that I have survived more by way of luck than talent. Otherwise how would you explain why my debut film clicked in a big way and fetched over INR 200 Cr at the boxoffice though I have never ever assisted any film-maker all my life ?

l Why do you say that you have survived more because of luck than talent?

That is because I am really confused whether my films click especially in the case of my film KICK because either talent runs in me or purely because of favourable time. It is only now that films have started running because of talent. Earlier it was only luck which played a vital role in a film’s success.

l In what way do you think corporatisation has changed the face of Hindi Cinema over the years ?

Frankly speaking, I should confess that today there is more discipline only because of the advent of corporates in the film industry. There is better coor-

dination and superb synergy and streamlining as far as film making is concerned today. Earlier when I was making films like GHULAMI, JUDWA, JEET or for that matter MUJHSE SHAADI KAROGI, everything was on zubaan and nothing was on paper. Now everything moves as per agreement on paper. Actors also are too professional today, though Dharmendra used to saunter in at leisure and shoot for GHULAMI which I completed in a span of seven years. And it was supposed to be a quickie in its time. Do you know there were no continuity sheets and we had a tough time matching the colour of his shirts when we used to shoot with him after a gap of a year because he was so busy and his dates were not available as and when I needed them. Today Varun is so “unprofessional” that he reports for the shooting half an hour before even I as a producer am able to reach the sets and we complete a film in a period of just two to three months. It was a pleasure to work with such an “unprofessional” actor.

l What exactly is your next film after HOUSEFULL 3 – DISHOOM all about?

DISHOOM is an out and out action adventure film starring John Abraham and Varun Dhawan with Jacqueline Fernandez. Right now, we do not want to show all our cards and want to maintain a little amount of secrecy so that the curiosity level is there as far as the film is concerned. There is a lot of logic in the film besides entertainment and also a lot of twists and turns to keep the audiences spellbound. Nothing is taken for granted. All that I can reveal right now is that it is about a manhunt of 36 hours for a top Indian cricketer. Akshaye Khanna plays an out and out villain in the film for the first time while Varun Dhawan plays the role of a rookie cop.

l How did you convince a reluctant Akshaye Khanna to stage his comeback after a gap of three years ?

The entire credit for convincing Akshaye Khanna to agree to play the villain in the film ought to go to Rohit Dhawan who is the director of the film and not me, because he was bent upon getting Akshaye Khanna back as an actor and would have perhaps gone to Akshaye’s house in town 200 times and convinced him though he was very reluctant to stage his comeback.

l You had written the Marathi film LAI BHAARI. Why did you not think of making LAI BHAARI in Hindi ?

Actually I wrote LAI BHAARI when I was shooting for JUDWA with David Dhawan as the director. I just could not make it in Hindi in the 90’s with Salman Khan in the double role that Riteish Deshmukh had essayed in the Marathi version because I thought the subject had become dated and I could not take the risk of making it in Hindi though Riteish was ready to take a risk because of the budget of the Marathi film. I only wrote the story and the scenario and did not work on the screenplay. I know Marathi films have become bigger and better when compared to the time when Riteish asked for the rights for the subject from me and made his debut film LAI BHAARI in Marathi. I should know because I had problems in getting screens when I released BAAGHI as SAIRAAT was going strong. I had to face problems once again when I released my next film HOUSEFULL 3 because there are theatres in Maharashtra, especially Mumbai and Pune where SAIRAAT is still running.

l As many as six writers took you to

court for lifting their story before HOUSEFULL 3 was released. Your take?

It is true that six writers from various parts of the country took me to court for infringing on their copyrights by claiming that we had copied their story but all of us had a big laugh when the critics wrote in their reviews that HOUSEFULL 3 did not have a story.

l In what way do you think Hindi filmmakers are facing problems from Hollywood too ?

As Hollywood is even hiring people like Gulzar and Vishal Bharadwaj to write for the Hindi dubbed versions of their films like THE JUNGLE BOOK, Hollywood is posing to be a big threat for Hindi film makers and have even entered places like Amravati and Bhopal in a big way. Hollywood is also getting actors like Varun Dhawan to dub for their films like CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR. We also face threats from Bhojpuri films as well as Marathi films like SAIRAAT today. SAIRAAT has done a business of INR 85 Cr while BAAGHI has lagged behind.

l What do you think we lack in Indian

Cinema ?

We lack cinema houses to screen the films that we set out to make. We are fighting with the government for theatres because while in China every week 14 theatres are being made, in India we do not even make 14 new theatres every year.

l Why are you not as prolific as a director ?

It is easy to produce films but very tough to direct a film. I directed KICK as Salman gave me a push.

l Which are your own five best films ? JEET, JUDWA, MUJHSE SHAADI KAROGI, the HOUSEFULL series and above all my favorite director’s KICK.

l What next, after DISHOOM ? After DISHOOM, I plan to come up with RANGOON, JUDWA 2, HOUSEFULL 4, BAAGHI 2 and KICK 2, which I will direct.

Jyothi Venkatesh

The writer is a well-known & established film critic.

JIM CORBETT THE TIGER HUNTER WHO TURNED THEIR SAVIOR

This July we celebrate the birthday of a fearless hunter who turned a saviour for tigers in India. I came across this story while I was sitting on the shore of the Kosi River of Uttarakhand. A few days ago, I had gone to the Namah Resorts in Dhikuli, at Jim Corbett Park. I was interested in the lost temple of Vairapattana, which was supposed to have been sited around this resort. I stayed there for few days, enjoyed the impeccable hospitality, and kept enquiring about the lost Shiva Temple. They pointed me in a particular direction and surprisingly, at a mere 300 steps, I found the remains of the ancient Shiva Temple. My mission was complete, but during my discussions with the staff and the naturalists present at this resort, I also learned a few more things about the area. Sharing those newly learnt nuggets of information here for the benefit of our readers ...

One of the resident experts at Namah Resort asked me if I knew of and about Jim Corbett. I replied with a smile, “Yes! You made us interact with Mr. Imran Khan, one of the best known naturalists in Jim Corbett National Park. He told us everything about the flora and fauna.” The expert averred, ‘No Sir, I meant, James Edward Corbett’. I was quiet. I have heard of him of course, but wondered why this gentleman was emphasising him so much. He was all praise for Jim Corbett and we retired to our room appreciating the spectacular sunset view across the Kosi river. As I reached my room, I picked up a book I had about Colonel James Edward Corbett of the British India Army and started reading.

Colonel Corbett was born in Nainital in the year 1875, to the postmaster of Nainital William Christopher Corbett. He spent his entire childhood in the region. During the winters, James Corbett, along with his parents and his 15 other

siblings used to stay in their family home downhill, what we now know as Corbett’s Village or Kaladhungi. After schooling, he took to employment with the Railways. He was so well versed with the jungle that he could identify most animals and birds by their sounds alone. Soon, he became famous as the hunter who would save locals from man-eating tigers and leopards. His most famous kill was the tiger known as

the 'Bachelor of Powalgarh'.

Powalgarh is a connected reserve near Ramnagar. We were taken to Powalgarh the next day to see the very site where Corbett killed this tiger. We also have the largest tree trunk of this region in the vicinity. Corbett later authored a book titled ‘The Man Eaters of Kumaon’. He mentions several kills that he made and how he accomplished those feats. Interestingly, the only one to accompany him was his favourite dog ‘Robin’. His expeditions were all on foot. His book talks about the strategies he formulated to hunt out the man-eaters in Champawat, Thak, Muktesar, Chowgarh, Rudraprayag, Kanda, Pipalpani and many more. The Panar Leopard was known to have killed as many as 400 people before falling to Corbett's bullet.

When Corbett analysed his kills, he found out that most of the man-eaters had porcupine quills embedded deep in their feet. Some even had unhealed gunshot wounds. While I was discussing this

with our nature expert at the Namah Resort, he explained that years of research has revealed that the porcupine is the most common reason for a tiger’s pain and unrest, forcing him to target slow moving and easy targets like humans. Jim Corbett, when realized this, turned into a saviour of animals. He bought a camera and started filming tigers.

I had the opportunity to meet up with James Champion a while ago. He is son of Frederick Walter Champion, companion of Jim Corbett in his expeditions to understand and save tigers. He gave me several insights on how Corbett turned into a conservationist and led campaigns to protect tigers. Corbett and Champion established India’s first nature reserve, the Hailey National Park in 1936. It was named after Lord Hailey, the then governor of the United Provinces (now Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh) from 1928 to 1934. His efforts laid the foundation of Project Tiger of the Government of India, which helped us realize the reducing number of tigers and forced both administrations and people to take measures to save them. Today, his Hailey National Park covers 520 square kilometres of hill area near

Nainital (It was originally 323 sq. Km). It houses around 110 tree species, 50 species of mammals, 580 bird species and 25 reptile species.

Initially, the proposal was to make it a Game Reserve, where the British could come and enjoy hunting as a sport while animals move freely. The Princely state of Tehri-Garhwal had already cleared most of this forest to save themselves from the invading Rohillas. When land came completely under the British and restoring the forest was under-way, Jim Corbett played an important role in ensuring that it stays a Nature Reserve and not become a Game Reserve. He emphasized on protecting the Tigers. He forcefully got across the fact that careless hunting activities are in fact turning tigers into man-eaters. His efforts were fruitful and the park was established. Later, in 1954, it was renamed as the Ramganga National Park. But within 3 years, the Independent Indian Government gave credit to Jim Corbett where it was due, and renamed this oldest national park of India as the ‘Jim Corbett National Park’.

Until 1947, Corbett and his sister lived in Gurney house in Nainital. This house was later sold to Mr. Sharad Prasad Var-

ma, which is now passed on to his granddaughter, Ms. Nilanjana Dalmia. The Corbetts retired to Kenya, where Jim Corbett kept up his good work in protecting wildlife. He was escorting Princess Elizabeth of England during her Kenya visit and they were staying in the Tree Tops Hotel, when King George the Sixth passed away. Next morning, when Elizabeth was told about this, she came down from Tree Tops and left for England as a Queen.

Corbett wrote the famous lines that day in the visitor log book of Tree Tops:

'For the first time in the history of the world, a young girl climbed into a tree one day a Princess, and after having what she described as her most thrilling experience, she climbed down from the tree the next day a Queen — God bless her'.

He passed away on 19th of April, 1955. We celebrate Corbett’s birthday every 25th of July.

Vikramjit Singh Rooprai

The writer is a heritage lover and activist who found it fit to leave a lucrative career in IT to take up the promotion of the heritage and cultures of India.

BHUBANESWAR

ON A TEMPLE RUN

The lanes of the old city of Bhubaneswar are choc-a-block with temples, making you wonder if this is how Delhi and other North Indian towns looked before the temples disappeared and tombs appeared. In Bhubaneswar however, temple building has continued over time with some sporadic minor hiccups across the centuries. The net result is a beautiful city, packed to the rafters with temples. You just need to meander through the myriad lanes of the city to come across, discover these jewels which are mostly away from the more meaty touristy spots.

Beyond the well-known Mukteshwar Temple is one of the earliest temples in Odisha, the Parasuramesvara Temple. This one was built in the 7th century AD and is adorned with some fabulous carvings of Ganesha, Kartikeya and the Saptamaitrikas. Everything about the temple – the spire, the intact Jagmohan, the sumptuous sculptural ensembles including the rare ashtagrahas on the sanctum

entrance, make it a must-see must-visit temple.

A little INTACH sign indicates that there is a 10th century monument beyond. Now it starts getting exciting. I am moving deeper into Old Bhubaneswar, where normal tourists do not usually venture. A few directions later, I find myself in a quiet temple complex, seemingly engulfed by a modern residential locality,

submerged within an urban agglomeration. This is a Shiva Temple with boundary wall, a shrine like entrance, two minor shrines within, and a well – this beauty took some finding but what a surprise! I have the temple to myself. The weather is pleasant and I was able to discern the usual household sounds around me. The closest a Delhi monument comes to this sort of a location and

vibe is the Atgah Khan Tomb ensconsed within the crowded Nizamuddin village.

So while Delhi has its balconies hanging over the tombs, here in Bhubaneswar the balconies and verandahs seem to lead you into the temple. Odisha Tourism has done a good job of installing signs so I do not miss the temples hidden behind the houses. Here a verandah leads me to a simple looking 7th century Swarna Jalesvara Temple. Continuing my walk through the lanes brings me to another 15th century Kotitirthesvar Temple which is again a Shiva Temple. The temple has within its precincts a small water tank called Papanashini Kund, where locals ritually bathe, hoping to wash their sins away.

Walking in the lanes of this ancient city is most certainly quite therapeutic. Here, ancient temples are a way of life just like the neighbourhood provision store or community park. They sit unobtrusively everywhere – an integral part of the land-

TExT & PHOTOS: NIrDESH K. SINGH

scape. A solitary devotee deferentially walks in. I stand unnoticed. rituals are performed. Incense is lit, lips move in prayers. Words are whispered into the Nandi’s ears. And life goes on languidly. Colourful houses and temples keep popping up with regularity. The next is the pair of Subarnajaleswara & Sampurnajaleswara Temples. Kids play around in the premises.

And then I emerge out to see the waters of Bindu Sagar. This is really a whole new different world. There are even more temples all around the rim of the lake. I sit under the shade of tree to reflect. The atmospherics are wonderful here. Priests attired in colourful dhotis perform services for the devotees, who come down the steps of the tank. They take water in their hands, mumble players and look to the

sun. Cows mill around. Kids are learning to ride bicycles. A sadhu indulges in a soliloquy. I feel that I could spend the entire day here.

The main temple here is the Ananta Basudev Temple. It is a beehive of activity, with food is being cooked. Earthen pots filled with rice and other delicacies simmer over wood-fired ovens. The devotees buy the food or ‘anna’ from the numerous shops filled with pots. The feast is served on the spread banana leaves.

Walking further, I come to the fort like walls that enclose the Lingaraja Temple. I climb a platform to catch a bird’s eye view. There are numerous shrines off all sizes inside. Outside, along the periphery, there are even more temples. The procession of the temples seems to be unending. And these are the ones that are not even

the more popular ones. This is indeed a pure bonanza for anyone interested in temple architecture and iconography, as the rich carvings, sculptural ensembles and architectural styles spanning across centuries and dynasties, can keep such a one busy for months at a stretch.

So while Delhi transports you to a medieval age, here in Bhubaneswar it has been a splendid day walking down a lane of the community's collective memory in ancient India. The sun goes down as I sit by the stepped tank of the rameshwar Temple complex. For the locals, the day starts with a visit to the neighbourhood temple. Now in the evening, people who have come to walk in the park have settled around the steps of the temple. A group of devotees is singing bhajans. The tabla beats echo through the darkening trees. I look back – the spires of the temples have a golden halo around them. They are talking to me. I feel blessed. And for the first time in the day, I bow my head in reverence. A walk in the glorious old city of Bhubaneswar will do this to you. Try it ...

Nirdesh K. Singh

The Author is a history buff who has a passion for travel photography

Postal regd. No. G-3/DN/297/2016-2018

Date of Publication: 5th of every Month

Date of Posting: 8th & 9th of every Month